Manila
43 km²
San Diego
964 km²
Philippines
United States
Area Comparison
Manila is 22.4x smaller than San Diego
Population Comparison
Manila has 1.3x more people than San Diego
In terms of area, San Diego is 22.4x the size of Manila. San Diego spans 964 km² (372 mi²) while Manila covers 43 km² (17 mi²) — a difference of 921 km². You could fit Manila inside San Diego approximately 22 times.
To put Manila's size in perspective, its area of 43 km² is about 1.4x smaller than Manhattan. Meanwhile, San Diego at 964 km² is roughly the same size as Berlin.
Manila's footprint is roughly about 6,000 American football fields, 88 times the area of Vatican City, or 21 times the area of Monaco — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. For San Diego, that's about 135,000 American football fields, 16 times the area of Manhattan, or 9 times the area of Paris.
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 1,902,590 people. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on the island of Luzon, it is classified as a highly urbanized city. With 44,935 inhabitants per square kilometer (116,380/sq mi), Manila is one of the world's most densely populated cities proper.
Known as "Pearl of the Orient", Manila covers 43 km² with a population of 1.9 million. The city was established in 1571. Manila is known for Intramuros walled city, Rizal Park, Manila Bay, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the LRT & MRT Manila.
Manila has 44,935 inhabitants per square kilometer, making it one of the world's most densely populated cities proper.
San Diego is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. It is the eighth-most populous city in the U.S. and second-most populous city in California with a population of over 1.4 million, while the San Diego metropolitan area with over 3.3 million residents is the 18th-largest metropolitan area in the country. San Diego is the county seat of San Diego County.
Also known as "America's Finest City", San Diego has an area of 964 km² and is home to 1.4 million people. It was established in 1769. Visitors come for San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, Coronado Beach, and much more.
San Diego sits directly on the Mexico-United States border, making it California's southwesternmost major city.
Manila has a population density of 43,023 people per km² — one of the most densely packed urban areas on Earth. San Diego, with 1,442 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Manila is dramatically more crowded, with 29.8x the population density.
Size Ratio
Manila fits inside San Diego ~22 times
Density Gap
Manila is 29.8x more densely populated
History
Manila is ~198 years older
Manila covers 43 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Athens (39 km²), Tel Aviv (52 km²), Zurich (88 km²), Copenhagen (91 km²), or Lisbon (100 km²).
San Diego covers 964 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Abu Dhabi (972 km²), Dallas (997 km²), Berlin (892 km²), Santiago (838 km²), or Hong Kong (1,114 km²).
The straight-line distance from Manila to San Diego is 11,905 km (7,398 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~14h 30m.
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