San Diego
964 km²
Seoul
605 km²
United States
South Korea
Area Comparison
San Diego is 1.6x larger than Seoul
Population Comparison
San Diego has 7.0x fewer people than Seoul
San Diego is significantly larger, covering 1.6 times the area of Seoul. San Diego spans 964 km² (372 mi²) while Seoul covers 605 km² (234 mi²) — a difference of 359 km².
To put San Diego's size in perspective, its area of 964 km² is roughly the same size as Berlin. Meanwhile, Seoul at 605 km² is about 1.3x smaller than New York City.
San Diego's footprint is roughly about 135,000 American football fields, 16 times the area of Manhattan, or 9 times the area of Paris — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Seoul, by comparison, equals about 85,000 American football fields, 180 times the area of Central Park, or 10 times the area of Manhattan.
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.
Known as "America's Finest City", San Diego covers 964 km² with a population of 1.4 million. The city was established in 1769. San Diego is known for San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, Coronado Beach, among other attractions.
San Diego sits directly on the Mexico-United States border, making it California's southwesternmost major city.
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital and largest city of South Korea, and the largest city in the whole of Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's sixth largest metropolitan economy in 2022, behind New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Paris, and London, and hosts more than half of South Korea's population.
Seoul has an area of 605 km² and is home to 9.8 million people. The city dates back to 18 BC. Visitors come for Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gangnam district, Myeongdong shopping, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Seoul Metro.
Seoul Metropolitan Area emerged as the world's sixth largest metropolitan economy in 2022, behind only NYC, Tokyo, LA, Paris, and London.
San Diego has a population density of 1,442 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Seoul, with 16,149 people per km², is an extremely dense urban environment. Seoul is dramatically more crowded, with 11.2x the population density.
Density Gap
Seoul is 11.2x more densely populated
History
Seoul is ~1,787 years older
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).
Seoul covers 605 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Chicago (606 km²), Madrid (604 km²), Mumbai (603 km²), Toronto (630 km²), or Hyderabad (650 km²).
The straight-line distance from San Diego to Seoul is 9,761 km (6,065 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~11h 59m.
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