San Antonio
1,209 km²
Shanghai
6,341 km²
United States
China
Area Comparison
San Antonio is 5.2x smaller than Shanghai
Population Comparison
San Antonio has 17.4x fewer people than Shanghai
Shanghai is significantly larger, covering 5.2 times the area of San Antonio. Shanghai spans 6,341 km² (2,448 mi²) while San Antonio covers 1,209 km² (467 mi²) — a difference of 5,132 km². You could fit San Antonio inside Shanghai approximately 5 times.
To put San Antonio's size in perspective, its area of 1,209 km² is about 1.3x smaller than London. Meanwhile, Shanghai at 6,341 km² is about 1.5x the size of Los Angeles metro.
San Antonio's footprint is roughly about 169,000 American football fields, 20 times the area of Manhattan, or 11 times the area of Paris — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Shanghai, by comparison, equals about 888,000 American football fields, 110 times the area of Manhattan, or 60 times the area of Paris.
San Antonio is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the seventh-most populous city in the United States, the second-most populous city in Texas, and the second-most populous city in the Southern U.S., with a population of 1.43 million at the 2020 census. The Greater San Antonio metropolitan area, with an estimated 2.76 million residents, ranks as the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest in the nation. It is the county seat of Bexar County.
Known as "Alamo City", San Antonio covers 1,209 km² with a population of 1.4 million. The city was established in 1718. San Antonio is known for The Alamo, San Antonio River Walk, Tower of the Americas, among other attractions.
San Antonio is the seventh-most populous city in the United States and second-most populous in Texas, with 1.43 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. 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.
San Antonio has a population density of 1,183 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
San Antonio fits inside Shanghai ~5 times
Density Gap
Shanghai is 3.3x more densely populated
History
Shanghai is ~427 years older
San Antonio covers 1,209 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Rio de Janeiro (1,221 km²), Lagos (1,172 km²), Rome (1,285 km²), Los Angeles (1,302 km²), or Hong Kong (1,114 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 San Antonio to Shanghai is 12,056 km (7,492 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~14h 41m.
Want to explore more? Compare city sizes for any two cities worldwide, or share your location live with friends.