San Francisco
121 km²
Xi'an
10,097 km²
USA
People's Republic of China
Area Comparison
San Francisco is 83.4x smaller than Xi'an
Population Comparison
San Francisco has 14.9x fewer people than Xi'an
In terms of area, Xi'an is 83.4x the size of San Francisco. Xi'an spans 10,097 km² (3,898 mi²) while San Francisco covers 121 km² (47 mi²) — a difference of 9,976 km². You could fit San Francisco inside Xi'an approximately 83 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, Xi'an at 10,097 km² is about 1.6x the size of Shanghai.
In more relatable units, San Francisco's 121 km² is about 17,000 American football fields, 60 times the area of Monaco, or 35 times the area of Central Park. Xi'an, by comparison, equals about 1,400,000 American football fields, 170 times the area of Manhattan, or 96 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.
Xi'an is the capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populous city in Northwestern China. Its total population was 12.95 million in the 2020 census, including an urban population of 9.28 million.
Nicknamed "Ancient Capital", Xi'an has an area of 10,097 km² and is home to 12.9 million people. Visitors come for Terracotta Army, Xi'an City Wall, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and much more.
Xi'an's 2020 census recorded 12.95 million residents, making it the most populous city in Northwestern China.
San Francisco has a population density of 7,190 people per km² — a densely populated city. Xi'an, with 1,283 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. San Francisco is dramatically more crowded, with 5.6x the population density.
Size Ratio
San Francisco fits inside Xi'an ~83 times
Density Gap
San Francisco is 5.6x more densely populated
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).
Xi'an covers 10,097 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Melbourne (9,993 km²), Wuhan (8,569 km²), Sydney (12,368 km²), Guangzhou (7,434 km²), or Chengdu (14,378 km²).
The straight-line distance from San Francisco to Xi'an is 10,410 km (6,468 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~12h 45m.
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