Climate

Alcalá de Henares logs 74 hot days a year to Barcelona's 14 — Barcelona wins by 60. Barcelona also leads on outdoor-dinner months by 1.

Alcalá de HenaresBarcelona
Sunny days
233251
Hot days
7414
Frost days
260
Rainy days
7994
Outdoor dinner months
6/127/12
Avg wind
2.4 m/s2.6 m/s
Sunshine hours
2,7312,711
Darkest month sun
129 hrs/mo147 hrs/mo
UV peak month
9.58.2

Alcalá de Henares

Feels-like °C

3
7
8
15
20
26
32
31
23
13
7
5

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Barcelona

Feels-like °C

6
10
12
16
22
26
29
29
24
19
12
7

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Cost of Living

Barcelona averages $2,016/mo for balanced living; Alcalá de Henares has no cost baseline yet.

Alcalá de Henares

monthly · balanced

Barcelona

$2,016

monthly · balanced

Minimalist $1,533Comfort $3,271
Top 53%in Among 217 Europe cities

Mobility

Barcelona scores 3.8 on mobility (0–5 scale); Alcalá de Henares has no mobility baseline.

/5
vs
3.8/5
Alcalá de HenaresBarcelona
WalkabilityTransitCyclingMotorbikeFlightsAirport

Culture

Barcelona's culture score of 4.3 sits well above Alcalá de Henares's 0.0.

0.0/5
vs
4.3/5
Alcalá de HenaresBarcelona
ArtsHistoryTheatreVenuesNightlife
Barcelona leads

Nature & Outdoors

Barcelona scores 4.5 on nature & outdoors (0–5 scale); Alcalá de Henares has no nature & outdoors baseline.

/5
vs
4.5/5
Alcalá de HenaresBarcelona
SeaMountainsForestGreen AreasRunningHikingCampingBeachDivingSkiingClimbing

Safety

Barcelona scores 2.5 on safety (0–5 scale); Alcalá de Henares has no safety baseline.

/5
vs
2.5/5
Alcalá de HenaresBarcelona
Property CrimeWildfire

Career

Barcelona scores 3.6 on career (0–5 scale); Alcalá de Henares has no career baseline.

/5
vs
3.6/5
Alcalá de HenaresBarcelona
JobsEconomyStartupsCoworking

Social & Community

Barcelona scores 3.3 on social & community (0–5 scale); Alcalá de Henares has no social & community baseline.

/5
vs
3.3/5
Alcalá de HenaresBarcelona
Everyday EnglishExpat-First CommunityMulticultural MixExpat Integration ExperienceUrban EnergyStreet AtmosphereLocal-First CommunityGovernment Immigration FriendlinessAdmin English Support

Food & Dining

Barcelona scores 3.6 on food & dining (0–5 scale); Alcalá de Henares has no food & dining baseline.

/5
vs
3.6/5
Alcalá de HenaresBarcelona
RestaurantsBrunchVeganDelivery

Family

Barcelona scores 3.7 on family (0–5 scale); Alcalá de Henares has no family baseline.

/5
vs
3.7/5
Alcalá de HenaresBarcelona
Intl SchoolsUniversitiesAmenitiesSportPlaygroundsGroceriesGymYogaSpaTennis

Healthcare

Barcelona scores 3.7 on healthcare (0–5 scale); Alcalá de Henares has no healthcare baseline.

/5
vs
3.7/5
Alcalá de HenaresBarcelona
Public HealthcarePrivate Healthcare

Air Quality

Alcalá de Henares averages 9.0 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus Barcelona's 13.7 µg/m³ (moderate) — Alcalá de Henares breathes ~34% cleaner air (4.7 µg/m³ lower).

Alcalá de Henares

Barcelona

9.0µg/m³
13.7µg/m³

PM2.5 annual average

Good
Moderate

WHO classification

City Scale

Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.

Alcalá de Henares (170K) and Barcelona (3.9M) are 23x in population — Barcelona is the larger metro, Alcalá de Henares the smaller; on land area Barcelona spans roughly 16x more ground.

19x

Barcelona is roughly 19x the scale of Alcalá de Henares

Combined population & area comparison

ES flagBarcelona
19x
ES flagAlcalá de Henares
1x

City Scale Rankings

Population
1.ES flagBarcelona3.9M23x
2.ES flagAlcalá de Henares170K1x
Area
1.ES flagBarcelona438 km²16x
2.ES flagAlcalá de Henares28 km²1x
© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
8.0 km6.0 km

ES flagAlcalá de Henares

© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
33 km33 km

ES flagBarcelona

Who Thrives Here

Frequently asked about Alcalá de Henares vs Barcelona

Which is cheaper, Alcalá de Henares or Barcelona?
Barcelona has an estimated monthly cost of $2,016.
How does the climate compare between Alcalá de Henares and Barcelona?
Sunny days: 233 vs 251 d — Barcelona higher Annual sunshine: 2,731 vs 2,711 hrs — Similar Winter sunshine: 129 vs 147 hrs/day — Similar Hot days (>30°C): 74 vs 14 d — Barcelona lower Frost days: 26 vs 0 d — Barcelona lower Rainy days: 79 vs 94 d — Alcalá de Henares lower
Is Alcalá de Henares or Barcelona safer?
Barcelona has a safety score of 2.5/5.
Should I move to Alcalá de Henares or Barcelona?
Alcalá de Henares and Barcelona are both popular relocation destinations with distinct characteristics. The best choice depends on your priorities — climate preferences, career opportunities, cost constraints, and lifestyle needs. Take the personalized quiz to find your ideal match, or explore the map to compare cities by region and lifestyle factors.

The best city depends on what matters to you

This comparison shows how Alcalá de Henares and Barcelona stack up on the data. But your climate preferences, budget, career needs, and lifestyle priorities can shift the picture entirely. A personalized diagnostic finds what fits your life.

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