Seattle
369 km²
Shanghai
6,341 km²
United States
China
Area Comparison
Seattle is 17.2x smaller than Shanghai
Population Comparison
Seattle has 33.6x fewer people than Shanghai
Shanghai is significantly larger, covering 17.2 times the area of Seattle. Shanghai spans 6,341 km² (2,448 mi²) while Seattle covers 369 km² (142 mi²) — a difference of 5,972 km². You could fit Seattle inside Shanghai approximately 17 times.
To put Seattle's size in perspective, its area of 369 km² is about 1.6x smaller than Seoul. Meanwhile, Shanghai at 6,341 km² is about 1.5x the size of Los Angeles metro.
Seattle's footprint is roughly about 52,000 American football fields, 180 times the area of Monaco, or 110 times the area of Central Park — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. For Shanghai, that's about 888,000 American football fields, 110 times the area of Manhattan, or 60 times the area of Paris.
Seattle is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It is the 18th-most populous city in the United States with a population of 780,995 in 2024, while the Seattle metropolitan area at over 4.15 million residents is the 15th-most populous metropolitan area in the nation. The city is the county seat of King County, the most populous county in Washington.
Known as "The Emerald City", Seattle covers 369 km² with a population of 0.7 million. The city was established in 1851. Seattle is known for Space Needle, Pike Place Market, Starbucks headquarters, among other attractions.
Seattle is Washington's most populous city with 780,995 residents in 2024, anchoring the Pacific Northwest.
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.
Nicknamed "Pearl of the Orient", Shanghai has an area of 6,341 km² and is home to 24.9 million people. It was established in 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.
Seattle has a population density of 2,005 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Shanghai, with 3,922 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Shanghai is noticeably denser, packing 2.0 times more people per square kilometer.
Size Ratio
Seattle fits inside Shanghai ~17 times
Density Gap
Shanghai is 2.0x more densely populated
History
Shanghai is ~560 years older
Seattle covers 369 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Philadelphia (370 km²), Dhaka (368 km²), Portland (376 km²), Atlanta (348 km²), or Denver (401 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 Seattle to Shanghai is 9,187 km (5,709 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~11h 19m.
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