Los Angeles
1,302 km²
San Francisco
121 km²
USA
USA
Area Comparison
Los Angeles is 10.8x larger than San Francisco
Population Comparison
Los Angeles has 4.6x more people than San Francisco
Yes — Los Angeles is 10.8x larger than San Francisco by area. Los Angeles spans 1,302 km² (503 mi²) while San Francisco covers 121 km² (47 mi²) — a difference of 1,181 km². You could fit San Francisco inside Los Angeles approximately 10 times.
To put Los Angeles's size in perspective, its area of 1,302 km² is about 1.2x smaller than London. Meanwhile, San Francisco at 121 km² is about 1.2x the size of Paris (city proper).
Picture Los Angeles another way: its area is large enough to fit about 182,000 American football fields, 22 times the area of Manhattan, or 12 times the area of Paris. 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.
Los Angeles (LA) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Southern California. With an estimated 3.88 million residents within the city limits as of 2024, it is the second-most populous city in the United States, behind New York City, and the largest city in the Western United States. The city has an ethnically and culturally diverse population, and is the principal city of a metropolitan area of 12.9 million people (2024).
Known as "The City of Angels", Los Angeles covers 1,302 km² with a population of 4.0 million. The city was established in 1781. Los Angeles is known for Hollywood Sign, Santa Monica Pier, Beverly Hills, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the LA Metro.
Los Angeles is the second-most populous city in the United States, home to 3.88 million residents within city limits as of 2024.
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.
Nicknamed "The City by the Bay", San Francisco has an area of 121 km² and is home to 0.9 million people. Its history stretches 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 Los Angeles metropolitan area covers 12,562 km², which is 1.8x larger than greater San Francisco at 6,984 km². The Los Angeles metro area is also more populous, with 13.2 million people compared to 4.7 million.
Los Angeles has a population density of 3,049 people per km² — a moderately dense city. San Francisco, with 7,190 people per km², is a densely populated city. San Francisco is noticeably denser, packing 2.4 times more people per square kilometer.
Both Los Angeles and San Francisco are in USA, making this a domestic size comparison that reveals how differently cities can develop within the same nation.
Both cities share a Mediterranean climate, though local geography creates distinct microclimates in each.
Size Ratio
San Francisco fits inside Los Angeles ~10 times
Density Gap
San Francisco is 2.4x more densely populated
Los Angeles covers 1,302 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Rome (1,285 km²), Phoenix (1,341 km²), Rio de Janeiro (1,221 km²), San Antonio (1,209 km²), or Lagos (1,172 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 Los Angeles to San Francisco is 559 km (347 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~1h 9m. See full distance details, including timezone difference and city facts.
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