Rio de Janeiro
1,221 km²
San Diego
964 km²
Brazil
United States
Area Comparison
Rio de Janeiro is 1.3x larger than San Diego
Population Comparison
Rio de Janeiro has 4.9x more people than San Diego
Yes — Rio de Janeiro is 1.3x larger than San Diego by area. Rio de Janeiro spans 1,221 km² (471 mi²) while San Diego covers 964 km² (372 mi²) — a difference of 257 km².
To put Rio de Janeiro's size in perspective, its area of 1,221 km² is about 1.3x smaller than London. Meanwhile, San Diego at 964 km² is roughly the same size as Berlin.
Rio de Janeiro's footprint is roughly about 171,000 American football fields, 21 times the area of Manhattan, or 12 times the area of Paris — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. San Diego works out to about 135,000 American football fields, 16 times the area of Manhattan, or 9 times the area of Paris.
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.
Known as "Cidade Maravilhosa", Rio de Janeiro covers 1,221 km² with a population of 6.8 million. The city was established in 1565. Rio de Janeiro is known for Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, Copacabana beach, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the MetrôRio.
Rio de Janeiro is the second-most-populous city in Brazil after São Paulo and the sixth-most-populous in the Americas.
San Diego is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. It is the eighth-most populous city in the U.S. and second-most populous city in California with a population of over 1.4 million, while the San Diego metropolitan area with over 3.3 million residents is the 18th-largest metropolitan area in the country. San Diego is the county seat of San Diego County.
Nicknamed "America's Finest City", San Diego has an area of 964 km² and is home to 1.4 million people. It was established in 1769. Visitors come for San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, Coronado Beach, and much more.
San Diego sits directly on the Mexico-United States border, making it California's southwesternmost major city.
Rio de Janeiro has a population density of 5,528 people per km² — a densely populated city. San Diego, with 1,442 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Rio de Janeiro is dramatically more crowded, with 3.8x the population density.
Density Gap
Rio de Janeiro is 3.8x more densely populated
History
Rio de Janeiro is ~204 years older
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).
San Diego covers 964 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Abu Dhabi (972 km²), Dallas (997 km²), Berlin (892 km²), Santiago (838 km²), or Hong Kong (1,114 km²).
The straight-line distance from Rio de Janeiro to San Diego is 9,986 km (6,205 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~12h 15m.
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