Montreal
498 km²
Shanghai
6,341 km²
Canada
China
Area Comparison
Montreal is 12.7x smaller than Shanghai
Population Comparison
Montreal has 14.1x fewer people than Shanghai
Yes — Shanghai is 12.7x larger than Montreal by area. Shanghai spans 6,341 km² (2,448 mi²) while Montreal covers 498 km² (192 mi²) — a difference of 5,843 km². You could fit Montreal inside Shanghai approximately 12 times.
To put Montreal's size in perspective, its area of 498 km² is about 1.2x smaller than Seoul. Meanwhile, Shanghai at 6,341 km² is about 1.5x the size of Los Angeles metro.
In more relatable units, Montreal's 498 km² is about 70,000 American football fields, 150 times the area of Central Park, or 8 times the area of Manhattan. Shanghai works out to about 888,000 American football fields, 110 times the area of Manhattan, or 60 times the area of Paris.
Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest in Canada, and the eighth-largest in North America. Founded in 1642 as Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary", it now takes its name from Mount Royal, the triple-peaked mountain around which the early settlement was built. The city is centred on the Island of Montreal and a few, much smaller, peripheral islands, the largest of which is Île Bizard.
Known as "MTL", Montreal covers 498 km² with a population of 1.8 million. The city was established in 1642. Montreal is known for Mount Royal, Notre-Dame Basilica, Old Montreal, among other attractions.
Montreal was founded in 1642 as Ville-Marie, meaning 'City of Mary', before adopting its current name from Mount Royal.
Shanghai is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. It has a population of 29,558,908 in the urban area as of 2025. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River bisecting the city. Shanghai is a global center for finance, business and economics, research, science and technology, manufacturing, transportation, tourism, and culture. The Port of Shanghai is the world's busiest container port.
Also known as "Pearl of the Orient", Shanghai has an area of 6,341 km² and is home to 24.9 million people. Its history stretches back to 1291. Visitors come for The Bund, Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Tower, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Shanghai Metro.
Shanghai's urban population reached 29.5 million in 2025, making it the most populous urban area in all of China.
Montreal has a population density of 3,534 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Shanghai, with 3,922 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Both cities have comparable density, though Shanghai is slightly more compact.
Size Ratio
Montreal fits inside Shanghai ~12 times
History
Shanghai is ~351 years older
Montreal covers 498 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Prague (496 km²), Warsaw (517 km²), Budapest (525 km²), Oslo (454 km²), or Auckland (559 km²).
Shanghai covers 6,341 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Perth (6,417 km²), Istanbul (5,461 km²), Guangzhou (7,434 km²), Wuhan (8,569 km²), or Dubai (4,114 km²).
The straight-line distance from Montreal to Shanghai is 11,348 km (7,051 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~13h 51m.
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