Jakarta
662 km²
Kuala Lumpur
243 km²
Indonesia
Malaysia
Area Comparison
Jakarta is 2.7x larger than Kuala Lumpur
Population Comparison
Jakarta has 5.3x more people than Kuala Lumpur
Jakarta is significantly larger, covering 2.7 times the area of Kuala Lumpur. Jakarta spans 662 km² (256 mi²) while Kuala Lumpur covers 243 km² (94 mi²) — a difference of 419 km². You could fit Kuala Lumpur inside Jakarta approximately 2 times.
To put Jakarta's size in perspective, its area of 662 km² is roughly the same size as Seoul. Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur at 243 km² is about 1.1x the size of Amsterdam.
Jakarta's footprint is roughly about 93,000 American football fields, 190 times the area of Central Park, or 11 times the area of Manhattan — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Kuala Lumpur works out to about 34,000 American football fields, 120 times the area of Monaco, or 71 times the area of Central Park.
Jakarta, officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta, is the de facto capital and largest city of Indonesia, with administrative status equivalent to a province. It lies on the northwestern coast of Java, borders the provinces of West Java and Banten, and faces the Java Sea to the north. Jakarta itself covers about 662 square kilometres, but the wider Jakarta metropolitan area—locally known as Jabodetabek—is among the largest urban agglomerations in the world.
Known as "Big Durian", Jakarta covers 662 km² with a population of 10.6 million. The city was established in 1527. Jakarta is known for National Monument Monas, Istiqlal Mosque, Kota Tua old town, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the Jakarta MRT.
Jakarta has administrative status equivalent to a province as the Special Capital Region of Indonesia.
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a federal territory of Malaysia. It is the most populous city in the country, covering an area of 243 km2 (94 sq mi) with a population of 2,075,600 as of 2024. Greater Kuala Lumpur, which itself includes the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 8.8 million people as of 2024. It is among the fastest growing metropolitan regions in Southeast Asia, in terms of both population and economic development.
Also known as "KL", Kuala Lumpur has an area of 243 km² and is home to 2.0 million people. Its history stretches back to 1857. Visitors come for Petronas Twin Towers, Batu Caves, Merdeka 118, and much more. Getting around is easy with the RapidKL (LRT, MRT & Monorail).
Kuala Lumpur packs 2.07 million people into just 243 km2, making it Malaysia's most populous city by far
Looking beyond city limits, the Jakarta metropolitan area covers 6,392 km², which is 2.3x larger than greater Kuala Lumpur at 2,793 km². The Jakarta metro area is also more populous, with 34.5 million people compared to 8.4 million.
Jakarta has a population density of 15,952 people per km² — an extremely dense urban environment. Kuala Lumpur, with 8,148 people per km², is a densely populated city. Jakarta is noticeably denser, packing 2.0 times more people per square kilometer.
Both cities are in Asia, but they represent different national approaches to urban development. Jakarta (Indonesia) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) offer a fascinating regional contrast.
Jakarta has a tropical monsoon climate while Kuala Lumpur experiences tropical rainforest conditions.
Size Ratio
Kuala Lumpur fits inside Jakarta ~2 times
Density Gap
Jakarta is 2.0x more densely populated
History
Jakarta is ~330 years older
Jakarta covers 662 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Hyderabad (650 km²), Toronto (630 km²), Nairobi (696 km²), Chicago (606 km²), or Seoul (605 km²).
Kuala Lumpur covers 243 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Boston (232 km²), Edinburgh (259 km²), Osaka (225 km²), Amsterdam (219 km²), or Taipei (272 km²).
The straight-line distance from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur is 1,187 km (737 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~1h 54m.
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