How Big is Bangkok? Size Comparison vs London, NYC & Singapore

Are you curious about the size of the Thai capital, Bangkok, and how it compares to other major cities worldwide?

This article will provide you with an overview of its size, highlighting both similarities and differences with other urban centers around the world.

⚠️ Bangkok is huge (1,569 km²). If this is your first visit, the sheer scale can be overwhelming. To avoid getting stuck in notorious traffic, we highly recommend staying centrally in the Sukhumvit Area near the Skytrain.

Infographic Part 1: Global City Population Comparison

This bar chart compares the cities based on their population in millions.

• Highlight: Bangkok, with a population of 10.0 million, stands among the highly populated cities on this list, though the Delhi Metropolitan Area dominates with 30.0 million.

Infographic Part 2: Global City Size Comparison

This bar chart compares the cities based on their physical area in square kilometers (km2).

• Highlight: Bangkok, at 1,569 km2, is one of the largest cities by area, comparable to London and only surpassed by Moscow, showing it is a geographically sprawling metropolis.

Bangkok and London

London, the capital of the UK, is 9,526 km from Bangkok, where a direct flight will take around 13 hours and in-direct up to 17+ hours.

How are Bangkok and London similar?

• Both cities have over 8-10 million residents
• Both cities cover an area of over 1,500 km²
• Both have significant rivers running through their epicenter
• Both have a Chinatown district
• Both are major tourist and transit hubs

How are Bangkok and London different?

• London is connected to the Atlantic Ocean, not the Pacific 
• Bangkok is 7 hours ahead in winter (GMT) and 6 hours ahead in summer (BST).

How big is Bangkok compared to London?

Bangkok and London are actually quite similar in terms of both population and land area:

Population
Bangkok has just over 10 million residents, while Greater London has around 9 million. So in terms of population, Bangkok is slightly larger.

Land Area
Bangkok covers about 1,569 km², and Greater London is around 1,572 km². So in terms of physical size, they are almost the same.

Some of the best airlines that fly from London to Bangkok include Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airlines, Emirates, and Eva Air.

Bangkok and New York

New York is on the east coast of America located 13,923 km from Bangkok, where an in-direct flight will take up to 20+ hours.

How are Bangkok and New York similar?

• Both have overhead mass transport systems
• Both have a Chinatown district
• Both cities have over 8 million residents

How are Bangkok and New York different?

• New York is connected to the Atlantic Ocean, not the Pacific 
• Bangkok (UTC+7) is 12 hours ahead of New York during Standard Time, and 11 hours ahead during Daylight Time.
• New York is not a capital city

How big is Bangkok compared to New York?

Bangkok and New York are similar when it comes to population, but differ in overall land size:

Population
Bangkok has just over 10 million residents, while New York City has around 8.3 million.
So by population, Bangkok is slightly larger.

Land Area
Bangkok covers about 1,569 km², whereas New York City covers around 783.8 km².
This means Bangkok is roughly twice the size of New York in land area.

Some of the best airlines that fly from New York to Bangkok include Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airlines, ANA, Emirates, and Japan Airlines.

Bangkok and Seattle

Seattle in Washington state located on the west coast of America located 11,972 km from Bangkok, where an in-direct flight will take up to 19 hours.

How are Bangkok and Seattle similar?

• The Pacific Ocean connects both
• Both have overhead mass transport systems
• Both have a Chinatown district

How are Bangkok and Seattle different?

• Bangkok is 14 or 15 hours ahead of Seattle, depending on the time of year.
• Seattle’s population is tiny compared to Bangkok in terms of population and land coverage
• Seattle is not a capital city

How big is Bangkok compared to Seattle?

Bangkok and Seattle differ significantly in both population and land size:

Population
Bangkok has just over 10 million residents, while Seattle has around 750,000 people.
This means Bangkok has more than ten times the population of Seattle.

Land Area
Bangkok covers around 1,569 km², while Seattle is about 217 km² in size.
So Bangkok is also much larger in physical area, not just population.

Bangkok and Singapore

The neighboring city of Singapore is located 1426 km from Bangkok, where a direct flight will only take 2 and a half hours.

How are Bangkok and Singapore similar?

• Both are major ports connected by the South China Sea and the Straits of Malacca.
• Both have a similar tropical climate
• Both have a highly developed and comprehensive system of higher education.

How are Bangkok and Singapore different?

• Singapore is less populated and smaller in size
• Bangkok has fewer green spaces
• Fewer people in Bangkok can speak English

How big is Bangkok compared to Singapore?

Bangkok and Singapore are very different in terms of both land area and population:

Population
Bangkok has just over 10 million residents, while Singapore has about 5.6 million people.
So Bangkok has nearly double the population of Singapore.

Land Area
Bangkok covers around 1,569 km², while Singapore, as a country-city, covers about 734 km².
This means Bangkok is more than twice the size of Singapore in land area.

Planning a Dual-City Trip? Since they are so close, many travelers visit both. Check our guide on Visiting Singapore in January or our list of Budget Hotels in Singapore.

Bangkok and New Delhi

New Delhi, the capital of India, a flight to Bangkok, will take up to 4 and a half hours.

How are Bangkok and New Delhi similar?

• Both have significant air quality pollution problems
• Both have a cheaper cost of overall living
• Both have amazing selections of food
• Both have traffic problems

How are Bangkok and New Delhi different?

• New Delhi is considerably more populated than Bangkok
• New Delhi is landlocked, while Bangkok is a coastal city on the Gulf of Thailand.

How big is Bangkok compared to New Delhi?

Bangkok and New Delhi differ quite noticeably in population and scale:

Population
Bangkok has just over 10 million residents.
New Delhi (as part of the larger Delhi metropolitan area) has over 30 million people.
So New Delhi is significantly more populated than Bangkok.

Land Area
Bangkok covers around 1,569 km², while the Delhi metropolitan region spans roughly 1,484 km². This means their overall land sizes are quite similar, but New Delhi fits a much larger population into that space.

Before you go…

Looking for other travel guides? We have compiled a list of helpful articles to help you plan your trip to Bangkok.