Dubai vs New York City — true size compared
Dubai is about 5.25× the area of New York City — a difference of roughly 3,330.2 km² (1,286 sq mi). You could fit New York City inside Dubai about 5 times.
Dubai stretches across 4,114 km² (1,588 sq mi) along the Persian Gulf coast of the UAE.
New York City covers 783.8 km² (302.6 sq mi) across five boroughs on the US Atlantic coast.
Overlay Dubai and New York City on the map →
Why maps make Dubai and New York City 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 Dubai and New York City 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
- Dubai: 4,114 km² · 1,588 sq mi
- New York City: 783.8 km² · 303 sq mi
- Ratio: Dubai is 5.25× New York City
- Absolute difference: 3,330.2 km² (1,286 sq mi)
- New York City fits inside Dubai ~5 times
Frequently asked
Is Dubai bigger than New York City?
Dubai is the bigger of the two, at 4,114 km² compared to 783.8 km² for New York City.
How many times does New York City fit inside Dubai?
About 5 times — the exact ratio is 5.25×.
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.