Kuala Lumpur
243 km²
Lisbon
100 km²
Malaysia
Portugal
Area Comparison
Kuala Lumpur is 2.4x larger than Lisbon
Population Comparison
Kuala Lumpur has 3.6x more people than Lisbon
In terms of area, Kuala Lumpur is 2.4x the size of Lisbon. Kuala Lumpur spans 243 km² (94 mi²) while Lisbon covers 100 km² (39 mi²) — a difference of 143 km². You could fit Lisbon inside Kuala Lumpur approximately 2 times.
To put Kuala Lumpur's size in perspective, its area of 243 km² is about 1.1x the size of Amsterdam. Meanwhile, Lisbon at 100 km² is roughly the same size as Paris (city proper).
Picture Kuala Lumpur another way: its area is large enough to fit about 34,000 American football fields, 120 times the area of Monaco, or 71 times the area of Central Park. For Lisbon, that's about 14,000 American football fields, 50 times the area of Monaco, or 29 times the area of Central Park.
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.
Known as "KL", Kuala Lumpur covers 243 km² with a population of 2.0 million. The city was established in 1857. Kuala Lumpur is known for Petronas Twin Towers, Batu Caves, Merdeka 118, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is 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
Lisbon is the capital and most populous city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 575,739 as of 2024, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainland Europe's westernmost capital city, and the only one along the Atlantic coast, the others being on islands. The city lies in the western portion of the Iberian Peninsula, on the northern shore of the River Tagus.
Often called "City of Seven Hills", Lisbon has an area of 100 km² and is home to 0.6 million people. It was founded around 1200 BC. Visitors come for Belém Tower, Jerónimos Monastery, Tram 28, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Lisbon Metro.
Lisbon is mainland Europe's westernmost capital city and the only European capital along the Atlantic coast.
Looking beyond city limits, the Lisbon metropolitan area covers 3,015 km², which is 1.1x larger than greater Kuala Lumpur at 2,793 km². The Kuala Lumpur metro area is also more populous, with 8.4 million people compared to 2.9 million.
Kuala Lumpur has a population density of 8,148 people per km² — a densely populated city. Lisbon, with 5,500 people per km², is a densely populated city. Both cities have comparable density, though Kuala Lumpur is slightly more compact.
This comparison spans continents — Kuala Lumpur in Asia versus Lisbon in Europe. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Kuala Lumpur has a tropical rainforest climate while Lisbon experiences Mediterranean conditions. When it's noon in Kuala Lumpur, it's 4:00 AM in Lisbon — a 8-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Lisbon fits inside Kuala Lumpur ~2 times
Density Gap
Kuala Lumpur is 1.5x more densely populated
Time Difference
8 hours apart
History
Lisbon is ~3,057 years older
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).
Lisbon covers 100 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Barcelona (101 km²), Paris (105 km²), Copenhagen (91 km²), Zurich (88 km²), or Vancouver (115 km²).
The straight-line distance from Kuala Lumpur to Lisbon is 11,569 km (7,189 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~14h 7m.
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