New York City vs Tokyo — true size compared
Tokyo is about 2.80× the area of New York City — a difference of roughly 1,410.2 km² (544 sq mi). You could fit New York City inside Tokyo about 2 times.
New York City covers 783.8 km² (302.6 sq mi) across five boroughs on the US Atlantic coast.
Tokyo Metropolis covers 2,194 km² (847 sq mi), stretching from Tokyo Bay into forested mountains.
Overlay New York City and Tokyo on the map →
Why maps make New York City and Tokyo 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 Tokyo 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
- Tokyo: 2,194 km² · 847 sq mi
- Ratio: Tokyo is 2.80× New York City
- Absolute difference: 1,410.2 km² (544 sq mi)
- New York City fits inside Tokyo ~2 times
Frequently asked
Is New York City bigger than Tokyo?
Tokyo is the bigger of the two, at 2,194 km² compared to 783.8 km² for New York City.
How many times does New York City fit inside Tokyo?
About 2 times — the exact ratio is 2.80×.
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.