New York City vs London — true size compared
London is about 2.01× the area of New York City — a difference of roughly 788.2 km² (304 sq mi). You could fit New York City inside London about 2 times.
New York City covers 783.8 km² (302.6 sq mi) across five boroughs on the US Atlantic coast.
Greater London spans 1,572 km² (607 sq mi) along the River Thames in southeast England.
Overlay New York City and London on the map →
Why maps make New York City 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 New York City 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
- New York City: 783.8 km² · 303 sq mi
- London: 1,572 km² · 607 sq mi
- Ratio: London is 2.01× New York City
- Absolute difference: 788.2 km² (304 sq mi)
- New York City fits inside London ~2 times
Frequently asked
Is New York City bigger than London?
London is the bigger of the two, at 1,572 km² compared to 783.8 km² for New York City.
How many times does New York City fit inside London?
About 2 times — the exact ratio is 2.01×.
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.