Madrid · Madrid
Madrid
Spain's capital simply by virtue of its central geographical position — a vast modern city where, beyond the museums, it's the vibrant lifestyle of the madrileños that is the key attraction.
What Madrid is like
Portrait drawn from The Rough Guide.
300km from the sea on a 650m-high plateau, freezing in winter, boiling in summer.
On the table. Traditional cafés, summer terrazas, the Sunday Rastro flea market and a thousand bars, clubs and tascas.
Worth the trip
- The Prado, Reina Sofía and Thyssen-Bornemisza museums, home to Picasso's Guernica among other masterpieces
- The Palacio Real
- The Santiago Bernabéu, home to Real Madrid
- El Rastro Sunday flea market
A little history
Madrid's history dates to the ninth century, when Muslims established a defensive outpost known as 'Mayrit' — the place of many springs; Felipe II moved the seat of government here in 1561.
Who it suits: Art museum-goers · Football fans · Nightlife seekers
The numbers
The decision data — each figure against the Spanish average. Regional overlays and estimates are labelled, and where there's no local reading we say so plainly.
Climate
- Winter average temp
- 7.9°C 0.1°C above the Spanish average (7.8°C)
- Summer high (Jul–Aug)
- 32.4°C 2.2°C above the Spanish average (30.2°C)
- Rainy days a year
- 59 days 14% less than the Spanish average (69 days)
- Sunshine
- no local data
- Summer water stress (WEI+) regional estimate
- 117 60 above the Spanish average (56)
Cost & economy
- Home price
- €5,466/m² 148% more than the Spanish average (€2,208/m²)
- Net income per person
- €19,632 35% more than the Spanish average (€14,495)
- Income growth ’18–’23
- 17.6%
Safety
- Recorded crime
- 66 per 1,000 50% more than the Spanish average (44 per 1,000)
Schools
- Schools in town
- 1,504
- Nearest international school
- 1 km
- PISA maths (region) regional estimate
- 494 13 above the Spanish average (481)
Healthcare
- Drive to a hospital
- 0 min
- Nearest health centre
- 0.2 km
- Surgical wait (region) regional estimate
- 50 days 54% less than the Spanish average (108 days)
Getting around
- Drive to nearest airport
- 21 min
- Fibre-to-home coverage
- 99% 21% above the Spanish average (79%)
- 100 Mbps+ coverage
- 100% 17% above the Spanish average (83%)
Who lives here
- Population
- 3,477,497
- Born in Spain
- 70.8% 18% below the Spanish average (88.8%)
- Born elsewhere in EU/UK
- 3.1% 0.7% below the Spanish average (3.8%)
- U.S.-born residents
- 4.18 per 1,000
Numbers: SettleSpain town dataset, derived from INE, AEMET, Mitma, Ministerio del Interior and the Catastro. National average = the unweighted mean across all 8,132 Spanish municipalities with data. A blank means no municipal-level figure is published — not a zero.
How does Madrid fit you?
These are the town's numbers. Whether it's your town depends on what you're optimising for — winter sun or mild summers, a city or a village, short medical waits, an easy flight home. The 3-minute quiz scores Madrid against every one of Spain's 8,132 municipalities on your priorities. It sits about 14 min from Alcobendas, if that's your anchor.
Take the quiz — rank Madrid for you →Nearby towns
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