# Proxy city checker: verify a residential IP's city before you scale

> Proxy city checker method: compare two lookups, ask the target site, and fix city mismatches in Asian metro areas before you buy more traffic. Tested Python.

- URL: https://banyanproxies.com/guides/verify-proxy-city/
- Last updated: 2026-10-18
- Publisher: Banyan Proxies (https://banyanproxies.com)

A city IP is only useful if the target site places it in that city. This guide shows how to check, why databases disagree, and what to do about it.

**Quick answer — How do I check which city a proxy IP is in?**

Send a request through the proxy to two IP lookup services and compare their city, then load the target site and read the location it shows. Databases often disagree near city borders: a Navi Mumbai home can show as Thane. With Banyan Proxies, the `-city-` segment sets the city, from $1.88 for 1 GB.

## How do I check a proxy's city in four steps?

1. **Use a sticky session** — Add -session-chk1-ttl-10 so every lookup sees the same IP: USERNAME-country-ph-city-cebu_city-session-chk1-ttl-10.
2. **Ask two lookup services** — Request two public lookup endpoints through the proxy and note city, region and ASN from each.
3. **Ask the target** — Open the target's own location hint through the proxy: a marketplace's delivery area, a food app's address prompt, a search engine's location line.
4. **Decide** — If the target agrees, scale. If not, try a new session, a nearby city, or accept the region if your job allows it.

## Why do geolocation databases disagree?

IP geolocation is an estimate. Databases map address blocks to places using ISP registrations, routing data and user reports. A home ISP may register a block to its regional hub, so homes across a metro area share one label. Metro areas in our region often cross administrative lines: Delhi's suburbs sit in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, Kuala Lumpur's in Selangor, Manila's spread across 16 cities of Metro Manila. Each city page lists the nearby places you may see.

## How do I script the check?

This Python script requests one sticky IP and asks two services for its location. Replace the city segment to test another city.

*Python: compare two lookups for one sticky IP*

```python
import requests

HOST = "gw.banyanproxies.com"
PORT = 7777
user = "USERNAME-country-ph-city-cebu_city-session-chk1-ttl-10"
proxy = f"http://{user}:PASSWORD@{HOST}:{PORT}"
proxies = {"http": proxy, "https": proxy}

a = requests.get("https://ipinfo.io/json", proxies=proxies, timeout=30).json()
b = requests.get("https://ipapi.co/json/", proxies=proxies, timeout=30).json()

print("ipinfo:", a.get("ip"), a.get("city"), a.get("region"), a.get("org"))
print("ipapi: ", b.get("ip"), b.get("city"), b.get("region"), b.get("org"))
if a.get("ip") != b.get("ip"):
    print("The IP changed between requests: the session ended early.")
```

## Which city mismatches are common in Asia?

| You asked for | You may see | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Delhi | Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad | Delhi NCR spans three states and shares networks |
| Mumbai | Thane, Navi Mumbai | One metro region, labels follow ISP hubs |
| Manila | Quezon City, Makati, Pasig | Metro Manila is 16 cities; databases pick one |
| Kuala Lumpur | Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya | Klang Valley homes are often registered to KL |
| Jakarta | Tangerang, Bekasi, Depok | Greater Jakarta (Jabodetabek) shares networks |
| Islamabad | Rawalpindi | Twin cities, side by side |
| Sydney | Parramatta, Penrith | Greater Sydney suburbs have their own names |

## What should I do once the city is confirmed?

Scale up with the parameter from the [city index](https://banyanproxies.com/cities/) and the [city targeting syntax](https://banyanproxies.com/targeting/city/). For multi-step checks keep one IP with [sticky sessions](https://banyanproxies.com/guides/sticky-sessions/); plans are on the [pricing page](https://banyanproxies.com/pricing/).

## What else do buyers ask about city checks?

### Which lookup is right?

The one your target uses, which you usually cannot know. That is why the best test is the target's own location hint, such as a delivery area or a local results line.

### Will time zone or language give me away?

Sites can read the browser's time zone and language. Set them to match the city, for example Asia/Manila and English or Filipino for Cebu City, so results are consistent.

### Does a different label mean the IP is not in the city?

No. It means one database labels it differently. A Petaling Jaya home and a Kuala Lumpur home can both serve Kuala Lumpur results. Decide on the target's view, not the lookup's.

## Where do these facts come from?

1. [ipinfo.io developers](https://ipinfo.io/developers) — IPinfo
2. [ipapi.co API documentation](https://ipapi.co/api/) — ipapi
3. [Metro Manila (16 cities and 1 municipality)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Manila) — Wikipedia

---

Banyan Proxies: Banyan Proxies is a residential proxy provider for cities across South and Southeast Asia and Oceania, paid in crypto with no ID upload: home IPs targeted by city in Mumbai, Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok, Karachi, Sydney and more, billed per GB.