Kuala Lumpur
243 km²
Tehran
730 km²
Malaysia
Iran
Area Comparison
Kuala Lumpur is 3.0x smaller than Tehran
Population Comparison
Kuala Lumpur has 4.6x fewer people than Tehran
Tehran is significantly larger, covering 3.0 times the area of Kuala Lumpur. Tehran spans 730 km² (282 mi²) while Kuala Lumpur covers 243 km² (94 mi²) — a difference of 487 km². You could fit Kuala Lumpur inside Tehran approximately 3 times.
To put Kuala Lumpur's size in perspective, its area of 243 km² is about 1.1x the size of Amsterdam. Meanwhile, Tehran at 730 km² is roughly the same size as New York City.
Kuala Lumpur's footprint is roughly about 34,000 American football fields, 120 times the area of Monaco, or 71 times the area of Central Park — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Tehran, by comparison, equals about 102,000 American football fields, 12 times the area of Manhattan, or 7 times the area of Paris.
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
Tehran is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is also the capital of Tehran province and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District. With a population of around 9 million in the city, and 16.8 million in the metropolitan area, Tehran is the most populous city in Iran and West Asia, the second-largest metropolitan area in the Middle East after Cairo, and the 24th-most-populous metropolitan area in the world.
Tehran has an area of 730 km² and is home to 9.1 million people. The city dates back to 1524. Visitors come for Azadi Tower, Milad Tower, Golestan Palace, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Tehran Metro.
Tehran's metropolitan area holds 16.8 million people, making it the second-largest metropolitan area in the Middle East after Cairo.
Looking beyond city limits, the Kuala Lumpur metropolitan area covers 2,793 km², which is 1.2x larger than greater Tehran at 2,235 km². The Tehran metro area is also more populous, with 16.0 million people compared to 8.4 million.
Kuala Lumpur has a population density of 8,148 people per km² — a densely populated city. Tehran, with 12,507 people per km², is an extremely dense urban environment. Tehran is noticeably denser, packing 1.5 times more people per square kilometer.
Both cities are in Asia, but they represent different national approaches to urban development. Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Tehran (Iran) offer a fascinating regional contrast.
Kuala Lumpur has a tropical rainforest climate while Tehran experiences hot-summer Mediterranean conditions. Winters differ dramatically: Kuala Lumpur stays around 27°C while Tehran drops to 3°C. When it's noon in Kuala Lumpur, it's 7.5:00 AM in Tehran — a 4.5-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Kuala Lumpur fits inside Tehran ~3 times
Density Gap
Tehran is 1.5x more densely populated
Time Difference
4.5 hours apart
History
Tehran is ~333 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).
Tehran covers 730 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Singapore (733 km²), Bangalore (741 km²), Hamburg (755 km²), Nairobi (696 km²), or New York (783 km²).
The straight-line distance from Kuala Lumpur to Tehran is 6,297 km (3,913 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~7h 55m.
Want to explore more? Compare city sizes for any two cities worldwide, or share your location live with friends.