Lagos
1,172 km²
San Francisco
121 km²
Nigeria
USA
Area Comparison
Lagos is 9.7x larger than San Francisco
Population Comparison
Lagos has 17.7x more people than San Francisco
Lagos is significantly larger, covering 9.7 times the area of San Francisco. Lagos spans 1,172 km² (453 mi²) while San Francisco covers 121 km² (47 mi²) — a difference of 1,051 km². You could fit San Francisco inside Lagos approximately 9 times.
To put Lagos's size in perspective, its area of 1,172 km² is about 1.3x the size of Berlin. Meanwhile, San Francisco at 121 km² is about 1.2x the size of Paris (city proper).
Lagos's footprint is roughly about 164,000 American football fields, 20 times the area of Manhattan, or 11 times the area of Paris — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. San Francisco, by comparison, equals about 17,000 American football fields, 60 times the area of Monaco, or 35 times the area of Central Park.
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.
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the fourth-most populous city in California and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with a population of 826,079 in 2025. Among U.S. cities with a population of 300,000 or more, San Francisco is ranked first by per capita income, second by population density, and sixth by aggregate income as of 2023.
Also known as "The City by the Bay", San Francisco has an area of 121 km² and is home to 0.9 million people. The city dates back to 1776. Visitors come for Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, Cable cars, and much more. Getting around is easy with the BART & Muni.
San Francisco ranks first by per capita income among all US cities with 300,000+ residents as of 2023.
Looking beyond city limits, the San Francisco metropolitan area covers 6,984 km², which is 2.6x larger than greater Lagos at 2,706 km². The Lagos metro area is also more populous, with 21.0 million people compared to 4.7 million.
Lagos has a population density of 13,131 people per km² — an extremely dense urban environment. San Francisco, with 7,190 people per km², is a densely populated city. Lagos is noticeably denser, packing 1.8 times more people per square kilometer.
This comparison spans continents — Lagos in Africa versus San Francisco in North America. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Lagos has a tropical savanna climate while San Francisco experiences Mediterranean conditions. Winters differ dramatically: Lagos stays around 27°C while San Francisco drops to 10°C. When it's noon in Lagos, it's 3:00 AM in San Francisco — a 9-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
San Francisco fits inside Lagos ~9 times
Density Gap
Lagos is 1.8x more densely populated
Time Difference
9 hours apart
History
Lagos is ~304 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).
San Francisco covers 121 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Vancouver (115 km²), Paris (105 km²), Miami (143 km²), Barcelona (101 km²), or Lisbon (100 km²).
The straight-line distance from Lagos to San Francisco is 12,558 km (7,803 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~15h 16m.
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