Phoenix
1,341 km²
San Francisco
121 km²
United States
USA
Area Comparison
Phoenix is 11.1x larger than San Francisco
Population Comparison
Phoenix has 1.9x more people than San Francisco
In terms of area, Phoenix is 11.1x the size of San Francisco. Phoenix spans 1,341 km² (518 mi²) while San Francisco covers 121 km² (47 mi²) — a difference of 1,220 km². You could fit San Francisco inside Phoenix approximately 11 times.
To put Phoenix's size in perspective, its area of 1,341 km² is about 1.2x smaller than London. Meanwhile, San Francisco at 121 km² is about 1.2x the size of Paris (city proper).
Phoenix's footprint is roughly about 188,000 American football fields, 23 times the area of Manhattan, or 13 times the area of Paris — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. San Francisco works out to about 17,000 American football fields, 60 times the area of Monaco, or 35 times the area of Central Park.
Phoenix is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, Phoenix is the fifth-most populous city in the United States and the most populous state capital. The Phoenix metropolitan area, with an estimated 5.19 million residents, is the tenth-most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. and the most populous in the Mountain states and Southwest.
Known as "Valley of the Sun", Phoenix covers 1,341 km² with a population of 1.6 million. The city was established in 1868. Phoenix is known for Camelback Mountain, Desert Botanical Garden, Heard Museum, among other attractions.
Phoenix is the most populous U.S. state capital and the fifth-largest city in the country with 1.6 million residents.
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.
Phoenix has a population density of 1,201 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. San Francisco, with 7,190 people per km², is a densely populated city. San Francisco is dramatically more crowded, with 6.0x the population density.
Size Ratio
San Francisco fits inside Phoenix ~11 times
Density Gap
San Francisco is 6.0x more densely populated
Phoenix covers 1,341 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Los Angeles (1,302 km²), Rome (1,285 km²), Rio de Janeiro (1,221 km²), Delhi (1,484 km²), or Mexico City (1,485 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 Phoenix to San Francisco is 1,051 km (653 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~1h 44m.
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