Phoenix
1,341 km²
Shanghai
6,341 km²
United States
China
Area Comparison
Phoenix is 4.7x smaller than Shanghai
Population Comparison
Phoenix has 15.4x fewer people than Shanghai
Shanghai is significantly larger, covering 4.7 times the area of Phoenix. Shanghai spans 6,341 km² (2,448 mi²) while Phoenix covers 1,341 km² (518 mi²) — a difference of 5,000 km². You could fit Phoenix inside Shanghai approximately 4 times.
To put Phoenix's size in perspective, its area of 1,341 km² is about 1.2x smaller than London. Meanwhile, Shanghai at 6,341 km² is about 1.5x the size of Los Angeles metro.
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. For Shanghai, that's about 888,000 American football fields, 110 times the area of Manhattan, or 60 times the area of Paris.
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.
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. It was established in 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.
Phoenix has a population density of 1,201 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Shanghai, with 3,922 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Shanghai is dramatically more crowded, with 3.3x the population density.
Size Ratio
Phoenix fits inside Shanghai ~4 times
Density Gap
Shanghai is 3.3x more densely populated
History
Shanghai is ~577 years older
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).
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 Phoenix to Shanghai is 10,890 km (6,767 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~13h 19m.
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