Houston
1,725 km²
Zurich
88 km²
United States
Switzerland
Area Comparison
Houston is 19.6x larger than Zurich
Population Comparison
Houston has 5.3x more people than Zurich
In terms of area, Houston is 19.6x the size of Zurich. Houston spans 1,725 km² (666 mi²) while Zurich covers 88 km² (34 mi²) — a difference of 1,637 km². You could fit Zurich inside Houston approximately 19 times.
To put Houston's size in perspective, its area of 1,725 km² is roughly the same size as London. Meanwhile, Zurich at 88 km² is about 1.2x smaller than Paris (city proper).
Houston's footprint is roughly about 242,000 American football fields, 29 times the area of Manhattan, or 16 times the area of Paris — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Zurich, by comparison, equals about 12,000 American football fields, 180 times the area of Vatican City, or 44 times the area of Monaco.
Houston is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the Southern United States. It is the fourth-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 2.3 million at the 2020 census. The Greater Houston metropolitan area, at 7.8 million residents, is the fifth-most populous metropolitan area in the nation and second-most populous in Texas. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, Houston is the county seat of Harris County.
Known as "Space City", Houston covers 1,725 km² with a population of 2.3 million. The city was established in 1836. Houston is known for NASA Johnson Space Center, Space Center Houston, Houston Astros, among other attractions.
Houston is the fourth-most populous US city with 2.3 million residents at the 2020 census, leading the entire South.
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. As of the end of 2024, the municipality had a population of 436,551, while the urban area was home to 1.45 million people (2020), and the Zurich metropolitan area had a total population of 2.1 million (2020). Zurich is a hub for railways, roads, and air traffic.
Zurich has an area of 88 km² and is home to 0.4 million people. The city dates back to 15 BC. Visitors come for Lake Zurich, Bahnhofstrasse, Grossmünster, and much more. Getting around is easy with the ZVV (S-Bahn & Tram).
Zurich is Switzerland's largest city and sits at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich in north-central Switzerland.
Houston has a population density of 1,333 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Zurich, with 4,886 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Zurich is dramatically more crowded, with 3.7x the population density.
Size Ratio
Zurich fits inside Houston ~19 times
Density Gap
Zurich is 3.7x more densely populated
History
Zurich is ~1,851 years older
Houston covers 1,725 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Riyadh (1,798 km²), Johannesburg (1,644 km²), Bogotá (1,578 km²), London (1,572 km²), or Bangkok (1,569 km²).
Zurich covers 88 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Copenhagen (91 km²), Lisbon (100 km²), Barcelona (101 km²), Paris (105 km²), or Vancouver (115 km²).
The straight-line distance from Houston to Zurich is 8,569 km (5,324 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~10h 35m.
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