Shanghai
6,341 km²
Los Angeles
1,302 km²
China
USA
Area Comparison
Shanghai is 4.9x larger than Los Angeles
Population Comparison
Shanghai has 6.3x more people than Los Angeles
In terms of area, Shanghai is 4.9x the size of Los Angeles. Shanghai spans 6,341 km² (2,448 mi²) while Los Angeles covers 1,302 km² (503 mi²) — a difference of 5,039 km². You could fit Los Angeles inside Shanghai approximately 4 times.
To put Shanghai's size in perspective, its area of 6,341 km² is about 1.5x the size of Los Angeles metro. Meanwhile, Los Angeles at 1,302 km² is about 1.2x smaller than London.
Picture Shanghai another way: its area is large enough to fit about 888,000 American football fields, 110 times the area of Manhattan, or 60 times the area of Paris. For Los Angeles, that's about 182,000 American football fields, 22 times the area of Manhattan, or 12 times the area of Paris.
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.
Known as "Pearl of the Orient", Shanghai covers 6,341 km² with a population of 24.9 million. The city was established in 1291. Shanghai is known for The Bund, Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Tower, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the Shanghai Metro.
Shanghai's urban population reached 29.5 million in 2025, making it the most populous urban area in all of China.
Los Angeles (LA) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Southern California. With an estimated 3.88 million residents within the city limits as of 2024, it is the second-most populous city in the United States, behind New York City, and the largest city in the Western United States. The city has an ethnically and culturally diverse population, and is the principal city of a metropolitan area of 12.9 million people (2024).
Nicknamed "The City of Angels", Los Angeles has an area of 1,302 km² and is home to 4.0 million people. Its history stretches back to 1781. Visitors come for Hollywood Sign, Santa Monica Pier, Beverly Hills, and much more. Getting around is easy with the LA Metro.
Los Angeles is the second-most populous city in the United States, home to 3.88 million residents within city limits as of 2024.
Looking beyond city limits, the Los Angeles metropolitan area covers 12,562 km², which is 2.0x larger than greater Shanghai at 6,341 km². The Shanghai metro area is also more populous, with 28.5 million people compared to 13.2 million.
Shanghai has a population density of 3,922 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Los Angeles, with 3,049 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Both cities have comparable density, though Shanghai is slightly more compact.
This comparison spans continents — Shanghai in Asia versus Los Angeles in North America. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Shanghai has a humid subtropical climate while Los Angeles experiences Mediterranean conditions. When it's noon in Shanghai, it's midnight in Los Angeles — a 16-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Los Angeles fits inside Shanghai ~4 times
Time Difference
16 hours apart
History
Shanghai is ~490 years older
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).
Los Angeles covers 1,302 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Rome (1,285 km²), Phoenix (1,341 km²), Rio de Janeiro (1,221 km²), San Antonio (1,209 km²), or Lagos (1,172 km²).
The straight-line distance from Shanghai to Los Angeles is 10,434 km (6,484 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~12h 47m. See full distance details, including timezone difference and city facts.
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