Melbourne
9,993 km²
Rio de Janeiro
1,221 km²
Australia
Brazil
Area Comparison
Melbourne is 8.2x larger than Rio de Janeiro
Population Comparison
Melbourne has 1.3x fewer people than Rio de Janeiro
In terms of area, Melbourne is 8.2x the size of Rio de Janeiro. Melbourne spans 9,993 km² (3,858 mi²) while Rio de Janeiro covers 1,221 km² (471 mi²) — a difference of 8,772 km². You could fit Rio de Janeiro inside Melbourne approximately 8 times.
To put Melbourne's size in perspective, its area of 9,993 km² is about 1.6x the size of Shanghai. Meanwhile, Rio de Janeiro at 1,221 km² is about 1.3x smaller than London.
Picture Melbourne another way: its area is large enough to fit about 1,400,000 American football fields, 170 times the area of Manhattan, or 95 times the area of Paris. Rio de Janeiro, by comparison, equals about 171,000 American football fields, 21 times the area of Manhattan, or 12 times the area of Paris.
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 covers 9,993 km² with a population of 5.1 million. The city was established in 1835. Melbourne is known for Federation Square, Flinders Street Station, Melbourne Cricket Ground, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is 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.
Rio de Janeiro, also known simply as Rio, is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the second-most-populous city in Brazil after São Paulo and the sixth-most-populous city in the Americas.
Nicknamed "Cidade Maravilhosa", Rio de Janeiro has an area of 1,221 km² and is home to 6.8 million people. The city dates back to 1565. Visitors come for Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, Copacabana beach, and much more. Getting around is easy with the MetrôRio.
Rio de Janeiro is the second-most-populous city in Brazil after São Paulo and the sixth-most-populous in the Americas.
Looking beyond city limits, the Melbourne metropolitan area covers 9,993 km², which is 1.5x larger than greater Rio de Janeiro at 6,744 km². The Rio de Janeiro metro area is also more populous, with 13.5 million people compared to 5.1 million.
Melbourne has a population density of 508 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Rio de Janeiro, with 5,528 people per km², is a densely populated city. Rio de Janeiro is dramatically more crowded, with 10.9x the population density.
This comparison spans continents — Melbourne in Oceania versus Rio de Janeiro in South America. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Melbourne has a oceanic climate while Rio de Janeiro experiences tropical savanna conditions. When it's noon in Melbourne, it's midnight in Rio de Janeiro — a 13-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Rio de Janeiro fits inside Melbourne ~8 times
Density Gap
Rio de Janeiro is 10.9x more densely populated
Time Difference
13 hours apart
History
Rio de Janeiro is ~270 years older
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).
Rio de Janeiro covers 1,221 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include San Antonio (1,209 km²), Lagos (1,172 km²), Rome (1,285 km²), Los Angeles (1,302 km²), or Hong Kong (1,114 km²).
The straight-line distance from Melbourne to Rio de Janeiro is 13,210 km (8,208 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~16h 2m.
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