San Francisco
121 km²
Tehran
730 km²
USA
Iran
Area Comparison
San Francisco is 6.0x smaller than Tehran
Population Comparison
San Francisco has 10.5x fewer people than Tehran
Yes — Tehran is 6.0x larger than San Francisco by area. Tehran spans 730 km² (282 mi²) while San Francisco covers 121 km² (47 mi²) — a difference of 609 km². You could fit San Francisco inside Tehran approximately 6 times.
To put San Francisco's size in perspective, its area of 121 km² is about 1.2x the size of Paris (city proper). Meanwhile, Tehran at 730 km² is roughly the same size as New York City.
San Francisco's footprint is roughly about 17,000 American football fields, 60 times the area of Monaco, or 35 times the area of Central Park — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Tehran, by comparison, equals about 102,000 American football fields, 12 times the area of Manhattan, or 7 times the area of Paris.
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.
Known as "The City by the Bay", San Francisco covers 121 km² with a population of 0.9 million. The city was established in 1776. San Francisco is known for Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, Cable cars, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the BART & Muni.
San Francisco ranks first by per capita income among all US cities with 300,000+ residents as of 2023.
Tehran is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is also the capital of Tehran province and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District. With a population of around 9 million in the city, and 16.8 million in the metropolitan area, Tehran is the most populous city in Iran and West Asia, the second-largest metropolitan area in the Middle East after Cairo, and the 24th-most-populous metropolitan area in the world.
Tehran has an area of 730 km² and is home to 9.1 million people. The city dates back to 1524. Visitors come for Azadi Tower, Milad Tower, Golestan Palace, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Tehran Metro.
Tehran's metropolitan area holds 16.8 million people, making it the second-largest metropolitan area in the Middle East after Cairo.
Looking beyond city limits, the San Francisco metropolitan area covers 6,984 km², which is 3.1x larger than greater Tehran at 2,235 km². The Tehran metro area is also more populous, with 16.0 million people compared to 4.7 million.
San Francisco has a population density of 7,190 people per km² — a densely populated city. Tehran, with 12,507 people per km², is an extremely dense urban environment. Tehran is noticeably denser, packing 1.7 times more people per square kilometer.
This comparison spans continents — San Francisco in North America versus Tehran in Asia. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
San Francisco has a Mediterranean climate while Tehran experiences hot-summer Mediterranean conditions. Summers are notably different: Tehran averages 30°C compared to 17°C in San Francisco. When it's noon in Tehran, it's 0.5:00 AM in San Francisco — a 11.5-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
San Francisco fits inside Tehran ~6 times
Density Gap
Tehran is 1.7x more densely populated
Time Difference
11.5 hours apart
History
Tehran is ~252 years older
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).
Tehran covers 730 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Singapore (733 km²), Bangalore (741 km²), Hamburg (755 km²), Nairobi (696 km²), or New York (783 km²).
The straight-line distance from San Francisco to Tehran is 11,821 km (7,345 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~14h 24m.
Want to explore more? Compare city sizes for any two cities worldwide, or share your location live with friends.