Chicago vs London — true size compared
London is about 2.59× the area of Chicago — a difference of roughly 965.9 km² (373 sq mi). You could fit Chicago inside London about 2 times.
Chicago covers 606.1 km² (234 sq mi) along the southwest shore of Lake Michigan.
Greater London spans 1,572 km² (607 sq mi) along the River Thames in southeast England.
Overlay Chicago and London on the map →
Why maps make Chicago and London look wrong
Almost every web map — Google Maps, Apple Maps, OpenStreetMap — uses the Mercator projection. Mercator preserves shape locally, but it stretches land the further you get from the equator. Greenland ends up looking bigger than Africa. Alaska rivals the contiguous US. That's why Chicago and London can look similar on a world map even when one is many times larger. The only fair way to compare is to lift one outline off the map and drop it on top of the other at true scale.
Quick facts
- Chicago: 606.1 km² · 234 sq mi
- London: 1,572 km² · 607 sq mi
- Ratio: London is 2.59× Chicago
- Absolute difference: 965.9 km² (373 sq mi)
- Chicago fits inside London ~2 times
Frequently asked
Is Chicago bigger than London?
London is the bigger of the two, at 1,572 km² compared to 606.1 km² for Chicago.
How many times does Chicago fit inside London?
About 2 times — the exact ratio is 2.59×.
Why does the map exaggerate one of them?
Mercator projection. Places far from the equator get visually stretched. Overlay the two at true scale to see the honest comparison.