Lagos
1,172 km²
Melbourne
9,993 km²
Nigeria
Australia
Area Comparison
Lagos is 8.5x smaller than Melbourne
Population Comparison
Lagos has 3.0x more people than Melbourne
In terms of area, Melbourne is 8.5x the size of Lagos. Melbourne spans 9,993 km² (3,858 mi²) while Lagos covers 1,172 km² (453 mi²) — a difference of 8,821 km². You could fit Lagos inside Melbourne approximately 8 times.
To put Lagos's size in perspective, its area of 1,172 km² is about 1.3x the size of Berlin. Meanwhile, Melbourne at 9,993 km² is about 1.6x the size of Shanghai.
Picture Lagos another way: its area is large enough to fit about 164,000 American football fields, 20 times the area of Manhattan, or 11 times the area of Paris. Melbourne works out to about 1,400,000 American football fields, 170 times the area of Manhattan, or 95 times the area of Paris.
Lagos, or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan port city in southwestern Nigeria. As of November 2025, the size of the city's population has been estimated to be between 17 and 21 million residents, making Lagos the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and one of the fastest-growing megacities in the world.
Known as "Lasgidi", Lagos covers 1,172 km² with a population of 15.4 million. The city was established in 1472. Lagos is known for Victoria Island, Lekki Conservation Centre, Nike Art Gallery, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the Lagos Rail (Blue & Red Lines).
Lagos is the most populous urban area on the African continent, with an estimated 17 to 21 million residents as of 2025.
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most-populous city in Australia. The city's name generally refers to a 9,993-square-kilometre (3,858 sq mi) area, comprising an urban agglomeration of 31 local government areas. The name is also used to specifically refer to the local government area named City of Melbourne, whose area is centred on the Melbourne central business district and some immediate surrounds.
Melbourne has an area of 9,993 km² and is home to 5.1 million people. It was established in 1835. Visitors come for Federation Square, Flinders Street Station, Melbourne Cricket Ground, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Melbourne Trams & Metro.
Melbourne's metropolitan area spans 9,993 square kilometers across 31 local government areas, making it Australia's second-most-populous city.
Looking beyond city limits, the Melbourne metropolitan area covers 9,993 km², which is 3.7x larger than greater Lagos at 2,706 km². The Lagos metro area is also more populous, with 21.0 million people compared to 5.1 million.
Lagos has a population density of 13,131 people per km² — an extremely dense urban environment. Melbourne, with 508 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Lagos is dramatically more crowded, with 25.8x the population density.
This comparison spans continents — Lagos in Africa versus Melbourne in Oceania. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Lagos has a tropical savanna climate while Melbourne experiences oceanic conditions. Winters differ dramatically: Lagos stays around 27°C while Melbourne drops to 10°C. When it's noon in Melbourne, it's 3:00 AM in Lagos — a 9-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Lagos fits inside Melbourne ~8 times
Density Gap
Lagos is 25.8x more densely populated
Time Difference
9 hours apart
History
Lagos is ~363 years older
Lagos covers 1,172 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include San Antonio (1,209 km²), Rio de Janeiro (1,221 km²), Hong Kong (1,114 km²), Rome (1,285 km²), or Los Angeles (1,302 km²).
Melbourne covers 9,993 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Xi'an (10,097 km²), Wuhan (8,569 km²), Sydney (12,368 km²), Guangzhou (7,434 km²), or Chengdu (14,378 km²).
The straight-line distance from Lagos to Melbourne is 14,812 km (9,204 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~17h 56m.
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