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 Henares
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Madrid
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
Madrid averages $2,244/mo for balanced living; Alcalá de Henares has no cost baseline yet.
Madrid
$2,244monthly · balanced
Mobility
Madrid scores 3.6 on mobility (0–5 scale); Alcalá de Henares has no mobility baseline.
Culture
Madrid's culture score of 4.2 sits well above Alcalá de Henares's 0.0.
Nature & Outdoors
Madrid scores 4.0 on nature & outdoors (0–5 scale); Alcalá de Henares has no nature & outdoors baseline.
Safety
Madrid scores 2.5 on safety (0–5 scale); Alcalá de Henares has no safety baseline.
Career
Madrid scores 4.1 on career (0–5 scale); Alcalá de Henares has no career baseline.
Social & Community
Madrid scores 3.6 on social & community (0–5 scale); Alcalá de Henares has no social & community baseline.
Food & Dining
Madrid scores 3.8 on food & dining (0–5 scale); Alcalá de Henares has no food & dining baseline.
Family
Madrid scores 3.9 on family (0–5 scale); Alcalá de Henares has no family baseline.
Healthcare
Madrid scores 3.7 on healthcare (0–5 scale); Alcalá de Henares has no healthcare baseline.
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
PM2.5 annual average
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.
Madrid is roughly 28x the scale of Alcalá de Henares
Combined population & area comparison
MadridAlcalá de HenaresCity Scale Rankings
Madrid5.7M33xAlcalá de Henares170K1xMadrid680 km²24xAlcalá de Henares28 km²1xAlcalá de Henares
Madrid
Who Thrives Here
Madrid is the stronger fit for the escaping weather. Both cities work well for the clean air seeker.
Also compared
Frequently asked about Alcalá de Henares vs Madrid
▶Which is cheaper, Alcalá de Henares or Madrid?
▶How does the climate compare between Alcalá de Henares and Madrid?
▶Is Alcalá de Henares or Madrid safer?
▶Should I move to Alcalá de Henares or Madrid?
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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