ES flag
Madrid

Spain

vs

Climate

Madrid logs 249 sunny days a year to Santander's 183 — Madrid wins by 66. Santander also leads on outdoor-dinner months by 1.

MadridSantander
Sunny days
249183
Hot days
780
Frost days
200
Rainy days
72163
Outdoor dinner months
6/127/12
Avg wind
2.1 m/s3.3 m/s
Sunshine hours
2,8122,195
Darkest month sun
127 hrs/mo102 hrs/mo
UV peak month
9.46.8

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

Santander

Feels-like °C

3
6
7
12
14
19
23
23
17
14
8
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; Santander has no cost baseline yet.

Madrid

$2,244

monthly · balanced

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

Santander

monthly · balanced

Mobility

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

3.6/5
vs
/5
MadridSantander
WalkabilityTransitCyclingMotorbikeFlightsAirport

Culture

Madrid's culture score of 4.2 sits well above Santander's 0.0.

4.2/5
vs
0.0/5
MadridSantander
ArtsHistoryTheatreVenuesNightlife
Madrid leads

Nature & Outdoors

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

4.0/5
vs
/5
MadridSantander
MountainsForestGreen AreasRunningHikingCampingClimbing

Safety

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

2.5/5
vs
/5
MadridSantander
Property CrimeWildfire

Career

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

4.1/5
vs
/5
MadridSantander
JobsEconomyStartupsCoworking

Social & Community

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

3.6/5
vs
/5
MadridSantander
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); Santander has no food & dining baseline.

3.8/5
vs
/5
MadridSantander
RestaurantsBrunchVeganDelivery

Family

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

3.9/5
vs
/5
MadridSantander
Intl SchoolsUniversitiesAmenitiesSportPlaygroundsGroceriesGymYogaSpaTennis

Healthcare

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

3.7/5
vs
/5
MadridSantander
Public HealthcarePrivate Healthcare

Air Quality

Madrid averages 10.3 µg/m³ (moderate) PM2.5 annually versus Santander's 8.6 µg/m³ (good) — Santander breathes ~17% cleaner air (1.7 µg/m³ lower).

Madrid

Santander

10.3µg/m³
8.6µg/m³

PM2.5 annual average

Moderate
Good

WHO classification

City Scale

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

Madrid (5.7M) and Santander (206K) are 28x in population — Madrid is the larger metro, Santander the smaller; on land area Madrid spans roughly 12x more ground.

18x

Madrid is roughly 18x the scale of Santander

Combined population & area comparison

ES flagMadrid
18x
ES flagSantander
1x

City Scale Rankings

Population
1.ES flagMadrid5.7M28x
2.ES flagSantander206K1x
Area
1.ES flagMadrid680 km²12x
2.ES flagSantander57 km²1x
© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
38 km42 km

ES flagMadrid

© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
8.9 km11 km

ES flagSantander

Who Thrives Here

Frequently asked about Madrid vs Santander

Which is cheaper, Madrid or Santander?
Madrid has an estimated monthly cost of $2,244.
How does the climate compare between Madrid and Santander?
Sunny days: 249 vs 183 d — Madrid higher Annual sunshine: 2,812 vs 2,195 hrs — Madrid higher Winter sunshine: 127 vs 102 hrs/day — Madrid higher Hot days (>30°C): 78 vs 0 d — Santander lower Frost days: 20 vs 0 d — Santander lower Rainy days: 72 vs 163 d — Madrid lower
Is Madrid or Santander safer?
Madrid has a safety score of 2.5/5.
Should I move to Madrid or Santander?
Madrid and Santander 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 Madrid and Santander 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.

Take the free diagnostic

10 minutes, no account needed