Climate

Alcalá de Henares logs 26 frost days a year to Madrid's 20 — Madrid wins by 6. Madrid also leads on sunny days by 16.

Alcalá de HenaresMadrid
Sunny days
233249
Hot days
7478
Frost days
2620
Rainy days
7972
Outdoor dinner months
6/126/12
Avg wind
2.4 m/s2.1 m/s
Sunshine hours
2,7312,812
Darkest month sun
129 hrs/mo127 hrs/mo
UV peak month
9.59.4

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

Madrid

Feels-like °C

4
6
7
14
19
24
30
30
21
13
7
4

Dinner outside

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

Cost of Living

Madrid averages $2,244/mo for balanced living; Alcalá de Henares has no cost baseline yet.

Alcalá de Henares

monthly · balanced

Madrid

$2,244

monthly · balanced

Minimalist $1,674Comfort $3,605
Top 67%in Among 217 Europe cities

Mobility

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

/5
vs
3.6/5
Alcalá de HenaresMadrid
WalkabilityTransitCyclingMotorbikeFlightsAirport

Culture

Madrid's culture score of 4.2 sits well above Alcalá de Henares's 0.0.

0.0/5
vs
4.2/5
Alcalá de HenaresMadrid
ArtsHistoryTheatreVenuesNightlife
Madrid leads

Nature & Outdoors

Madrid scores 4.0 on nature & outdoors (0–5 scale); Alcalá de Henares has no nature & outdoors baseline.

/5
vs
4.0/5
Alcalá de HenaresMadrid
MountainsForestGreen AreasRunningHikingCampingClimbing

Safety

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

/5
vs
2.5/5
Alcalá de HenaresMadrid
Property CrimeWildfire

Career

Madrid scores 4.1 on career (0–5 scale); Alcalá de Henares has no career baseline.

/5
vs
4.1/5
Alcalá de HenaresMadrid
JobsEconomyStartupsCoworking

Social & Community

Madrid scores 3.6 on social & community (0–5 scale); Alcalá de Henares has no social & community baseline.

/5
vs
3.6/5
Alcalá de HenaresMadrid
Everyday EnglishExpat-First CommunityMulticultural MixExpat Integration ExperienceUrban EnergyStreet AtmosphereLocal-First CommunityGovernment Immigration FriendlinessAdmin English Support

Food & Dining

Madrid scores 3.8 on food & dining (0–5 scale); Alcalá de Henares has no food & dining baseline.

/5
vs
3.8/5
Alcalá de HenaresMadrid
RestaurantsBrunchVeganDelivery

Family

Madrid scores 3.9 on family (0–5 scale); Alcalá de Henares has no family baseline.

/5
vs
3.9/5
Alcalá de HenaresMadrid
Intl SchoolsUniversitiesAmenitiesSportPlaygroundsGroceriesGymYogaSpaTennis

Healthcare

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

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

Air Quality

Alcalá de Henares averages 9.0 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus Madrid's 10.3 µg/m³ (moderate) — Alcalá de Henares breathes ~12% cleaner air (1.3 µg/m³ lower).

Alcalá de Henares

Madrid

9.0µg/m³
10.3µg/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 Madrid (5.7M) are 33x in population — Madrid is the larger metro, Alcalá de Henares the smaller; on land area Madrid spans roughly 24x more ground.

28x

Madrid is roughly 28x the scale of Alcalá de Henares

Combined population & area comparison

ES flagMadrid
28x
ES flagAlcalá de Henares
1x

City Scale Rankings

Population
1.ES flagMadrid5.7M33x
2.ES flagAlcalá de Henares170K1x
Area
1.ES flagMadrid680 km²24x
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
38 km42 km

ES flagMadrid

Who Thrives Here

Frequently asked about Alcalá de Henares vs Madrid

Which is cheaper, Alcalá de Henares or Madrid?
Madrid has an estimated monthly cost of $2,244.
How does the climate compare between Alcalá de Henares and Madrid?
Sunny days: 233 vs 249 d — Madrid higher Annual sunshine: 2,731 vs 2,812 hrs — Similar Winter sunshine: 129 vs 127 hrs/day — Similar Hot days (>30°C): 74 vs 78 d — Similar Frost days: 26 vs 20 d — Madrid lower Rainy days: 79 vs 72 d — Similar
Is Alcalá de Henares or Madrid safer?
Madrid has a safety score of 2.5/5.
Should I move to Alcalá de Henares or Madrid?
Alcalá de Henares and Madrid 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 Madrid 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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