New York City vs Los Angeles — true size compared
Los Angeles is about 1.66× the area of New York City — a difference of roughly 518.2 km² (200 sq mi). You could fit New York City inside Los Angeles about 1 time.
New York City covers 783.8 km² (302.6 sq mi) across five boroughs on the US Atlantic coast.
The City of Los Angeles sprawls across 1,302 km² (503 sq mi) of Southern California.
Overlay New York City and Los Angeles on the map →
Why maps make New York City and Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles 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
- Los Angeles: 1,302 km² · 503 sq mi
- Ratio: Los Angeles is 1.66× New York City
- Absolute difference: 518.2 km² (200 sq mi)
- New York City fits inside Los Angeles ~1 time
Frequently asked
Is New York City bigger than Los Angeles?
Los Angeles is the bigger of the two, at 1,302 km² compared to 783.8 km² for New York City.
How many times does New York City fit inside Los Angeles?
About 1 time — the exact ratio is 1.66×.
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.