New York
783 km²
San Francisco
121 km²
USA
USA
Area Comparison
New York is 6.5x larger than San Francisco
Population Comparison
New York has 9.6x more people than San Francisco
New York is significantly larger, covering 6.5 times the area of San Francisco. New York spans 783 km² (302 mi²) while San Francisco covers 121 km² (47 mi²) — a difference of 662 km². You could fit San Francisco inside New York approximately 6 times.
To put New York's size in perspective, its area of 783 km² is about 1.1x smaller than Berlin. Meanwhile, San Francisco at 121 km² is about 1.2x the size of Paris (city proper).
In more relatable units, New York's 783 km² is about 110,000 American football fields, 13 times the area of Manhattan, or 7 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.
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States. It is located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive with its respective county. It is the geographical and demographic center of both the Northeast megalopolis and the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the United States by both population and urban area.
Known as "New York City", New York covers 783 km² with a population of 8.3 million. The city was established in 1624. New York is known for Times Square, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the NYC Subway.
New York City sits on one of the world's largest natural harbors, which shaped its rise as America's commercial gateway.
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. It was established in 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 New York metropolitan area covers 17,405 km², which is 2.5x larger than greater San Francisco at 6,984 km². The New York metro area is also more populous, with 20.1 million people compared to 4.7 million.
New York has a population density of 10,651 people per km² — an extremely dense urban environment. San Francisco, with 7,190 people per km², is a densely populated city. Both cities have comparable density, though New York is slightly more compact.
Both New York and San Francisco are in USA, making this a domestic size comparison that reveals how differently cities can develop within the same nation.
New York has a humid subtropical climate while San Francisco experiences Mediterranean conditions. When it's noon in New York, it's 9:00 AM in San Francisco — a 3-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
San Francisco fits inside New York ~6 times
Density Gap
New York is 1.5x more densely populated
Time Difference
3 hours apart
History
New York is ~152 years older
New York covers 783 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Hamburg (755 km²), Bangalore (741 km²), Kyoto (828 km²), Singapore (733 km²), or Santiago (838 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 New York to San Francisco is 4,129 km (2,566 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~5h 21m.
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