Living in Madrid
Madrid had 3,506,730 residents at the start of 2025 across 605.8 km². Population density was 5,640.1 people per km², and the foreign population count was 619,086 at the start of 2024.
Pricier rent than any other Spanish city that publishes it, higher unemployment than 92% of Spanish cities that publish it and more recorded crime than 94% of Spanish cities that publish it.
Which Spain-wide rules apply when you move to Madrid?
National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.
Housing and cost
Average net cold rent was €14 per m² per month in 2024. A separate May 2025 practical estimate placed median city rent at €1,250 per month.
How much does it cost to rent in Madrid?
Average net cold rent is 14 EUR/m² per month (2024), excluding heating and operating charges.
Published average over existing tenancies; a specific flat can sit either side of it. Asking-rent series, where present, are separate rows in the table.
- Average net rent (nettokalt): 14 EUR/m²/month · SERPAVI 2026 — Tabla 2, Madrid23
Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fitness club membership, monthly | 42.66 EUR/month | 31 Jul 2026 | Lebenshaltungskosten in Madrid26Commercial estimate · Supplemental context |
| Col Groceries Index Basket Eur Month | 72.01 EUR/month | 3 Aug 2026 | Numbeo28Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context |
| Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited | 30.78 EUR/month | 31 Jul 2026 | Lebenshaltungskosten in Madrid26Commercial estimate · Supplemental context |
| Private kindergarten, monthly | 627 EUR/month | 31 Jul 2026 | Lebenshaltungskosten in Madrid26Commercial estimate · Supplemental context |
| Meal at an inexpensive restaurant | 16 EUR | 31 Jul 2026 | Lebenshaltungskosten in Madrid26Commercial estimate · Supplemental context |
| Mobile plan, 10 GB | 16 EUR/month | 31 Jul 2026 | Lebenshaltungskosten in Madrid26Commercial estimate · Supplemental context |
| Monthly transport pass | 28.1 EUR/month | 26 Jul 2026 | Official city transport tariff18Official |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² home | 168.6 EUR/month | 31 Jul 2026 | Lebenshaltungskosten in Madrid26Commercial estimate · Supplemental context |
| Dwellings | 1,533,222 dwellings | 31 Dec 2021 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain13Official |
| G05 Main Residential Dwellings | 1,322,856 dwellings | 31 Dec 2021 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain13Official |
| G05 Secondary Seasonal Vacant Dwellings | 210,366 dwellings | 31 Dec 2021 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain13Official |
| Average net rent (nettokalt) | 14 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €5.10 | 31 Dec 2024 | SERPAVI 2026 — Tabla 2, Madrid23Official |
| Median monthly rent | 1,250 EUR/month | 15 May 2025 | Numbeo27Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context |
Worked out from these numbers
What does a 60 m² flat cost?
About 840 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 14 EUR/m² per month, before heating and operating charges.
Heating, water and operating charges come on top, and a specific flat can sit either side of an average.
Work and income
The city unemployment rate was 8.83% in 2024.
What is the unemployment rate in Madrid?
The unemployment rate is about 8.8 % (2024).
- Unemployment rate: 8.83 % · INE Urban Indicators — unemployment rate by city8
Unemployment rate (%)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gigabit broadband availability | 99.28 % | 30 Jun 2025 | SETELECO Cobertura Banda Ancha España 2021-202524Official |
| People in employment | 1,409,076 people | 31 Dec 2021 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain13Official |
| Median gross salary (regional) | 2,336 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2024 | INE Encuesta Anual de Estructura Salarial — 2024 median gross annual earnings7Official · regional context |
| Unemployment rate | 8.83 %country median 4.4% | 31 Dec 2024 | INE Urban Indicators — unemployment rate by city8Official |
Unemployment rate fell 47.5% between 2015 and 2024, from 16.8% to 8.8%.
Public employment service
No exact public employment office is currently linked to Madrid. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.
Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal — Public employment service
Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Madrid. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.
Healthcare
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital Beds Per 100k | 384.6 beds per 100,000 | 31 Dec 2025 | Ministerio de Sanidad – Catálogo Nacional de Hospitales 202514Official |
Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Madrid under the national coverage rules.
Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.
Open the official coverage guideSafety
The city's crime rate was 6,953 incidents per 100,000 residents in 2024.
How safe is Madrid?
Police recorded about 6,953 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: MIR 2024 Q4 exact III. TOTAL INFRACCIONES PENALES, enero-diciembre 2024; INE 29005 denominator.15
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents | 6,953 incidents per 100,000country median 4,276 | 31 Dec 2024 | MIR 2024 Q4 exact III. TOTAL INFRACCIONES PENALES, enero-diciembre 2024; INE 29005 denominator.15Official |
Mobility and administration
MAD was 14 km from the city with 158 listed destinations in June 2026. A monthly transport pass was €28.10 in July 2026.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Destinations from nearest airport | 158 count | 13 Jun 2026 | OpenFlights — routes.dat21Official |
| Nearest airport | MAD | 13 Jun 2026 | OurAirports — airports.csv22Official |
| Distance to nearest airport | 14 km | 13 Jun 2026 | OurAirports — airports.csv22Official |
| Public transport monthly pass | 34 EUR/month | 3 Aug 2026 | Numbeo28Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context |
Language courses and integration in Madrid
2 exact private or nonprofit provider records are linked to this city as supplemental evidence. Check the linked source for dates, availability and enrolment.
Municipal Spanish courses for adult immigrants — Madrid — Municipal language course
Ayuntamiento de Madrid
For adult immigrants who are not Spanish-speaking.
Private and nonprofit providers
Provider-supplied records stay separate from government-verified services.
Provider-supplied record · supplemental Madrid Municipal Integration Office — North
Calle Juan Pantoja 2, 1ª Planta, Madrid
Open provider websiteProvider-supplied record · supplemental Madrid Municipal Integration Office — South
Calle Vía Carpetana 99, Madrid
Open provider websiteClimate and air quality
Monthly mean temperature moved from 6.6°C in January to 26.4°C in July. Average July highs were 33.3°C, and annual 2024 PM2.5 was 8.668 µg/m³.
Is the air quality good in Madrid?
The annual PM2.5 mean is about 8.7 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³.
Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.
- PM2.5 — annual mean: 8.67 µg/m³ · No MITECO 2024 station measurement point is registered inside the exact target INE5 municipality; a nearest-station or CCAA value would change the requested place grain and is not accepted.17
City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.
Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| NO₂ — annual mean | 23.18 µg/m³ | 2024 | No MITECO 2024 station measurement point is registered inside the exact target INE5 municipality; a nearest-station or CCAA value would change the requested place grain and is not accepted.17Official |
| PM10 — annual mean | 19.12 µg/m³ | 2024 | No MITECO 2024 station measurement point is registered inside the exact target INE5 municipality; a nearest-station or CCAA value would change the requested place grain and is not accepted.17Official |
| PM2.5 — annual mean | 8.67 µg/m³country median 8.7 — about the same | 2024 | No MITECO 2024 station measurement point is registered inside the exact target INE5 municipality; a nearest-station or CCAA value would change the requested place grain and is not accepted.17Official |
| Annual mean temperature (modelled) | 13.5 °C | 2001-2020 | NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology16Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate |
| Annual precipitation (modelled) | 445.6 mm/year | 2001-2020 | NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology16Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate |
| January mean temperature (modelled) | 3.79 °C | 2001-2020 | NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology16Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate |
| January minimum temperature (modelled) | -7.4 °C | 2001-2020 | NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology16Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate |
| July maximum temperature (modelled) | 39.94 °C | 2001-2020 | NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology16Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate |
| July mean temperature (modelled) | 25.31 °C | 2001-2020 | NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology16Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate |
| Daily precipitation rate (modelled) | 1.22 mm/day | 2001-2020 | NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology16Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate |
| Solar exposure (modelled) | 4.7 kWh/m²/day | 2001-2020 | NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology16Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate |
| Average daytime high by month | Jan 10.2 · Feb 12.3 · Mar 16.4 · Apr 19.1 · May 23.5 · Jun 29.4 · Jul 33.3 · Aug 32.6 · Sep 26.9 · Oct 20 · Nov 13.7 · Dec 10.4 °C | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV29Independent |
| Average night-time low by month | Jan 3 · Feb 3.7 · Mar 6.3 · Apr 8.2 · May 11.9 · Jun 16.5 · Jul 19.5 · Aug 19.3 · Sep 15.5 · Oct 11.1 · Nov 6.4 · Dec 3.7 °C | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV29Independent |
| Average temperature by month | Jan 6.6 · Feb 8 · Mar 11.4 · Apr 13.7 · May 17.7 · Jun 23 · Jul 26.4 · Aug 25.9 · Sep 21.2 · Oct 15.5 · Nov 10 · Dec 7.1 °C | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV29Independent |
| Average precipitation by month | Jan 32 · Feb 33.5 · Mar 35.3 · Apr 46.1 · May 48.3 · Jun 19.6 · Jul 9.2 · Aug 10.4 · Sep 23.6 · Oct 64.2 · Nov 52.2 · Dec 42.4 mm | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV29Independent |
| Average sunshine by month | Jan 148.3 · Feb 172.7 · Mar 220.6 · Apr 231.2 · May 271 · Jun 322.4 · Jul 368 · Aug 337.6 · Sep 260 · Oct 201 · Nov 150.5 · Dec 135.5 hours | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV30Independent |
Annual PM2.5 fell 27.8% between 2013 and 2024, from 12.0 to 8.7.
Cities of a similar size in Spain
Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.
Population and city profile
How many people live in Madrid?
The published population was 3,506,730 people in January 2025. Source: INE — Cifras oficiales de población de los municipios españoles, revisión del Padrón Municipal 1 January 20256
Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area | 605.8 km² | 1 Jan 2024 | www.ine.es25Official |
| Cars per 1,000 residents | 396.7 cars per 1000 people | 31 Dec 2024 | Eurostat4Official |
| City area | 605.8 km² | 1 Jan 2024 | www.ine.es25Official |
| Foreign-resident share | 17 % | 31 Dec 2024 | Eurostat5Official |
| Foreign residents | 619,086 people | 1 Jan 2024 | Official INE municipal population by country of nationality; foreign total derived as Total nationality minus España.20Official |
| Population density | 5,640 people/km² | 1 Jan 2024 | Official INE 2024 municipality population divided by official INE 2024 municipality area.19Official |
| Population Female | 1,776,528 people | 31 Dec 2023 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE)10Official |
| Population Male | 1,555,507 people | 31 Dec 2023 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE)10Official |
| Population | 3,506,730 people | 1 Jan 2025 | INE — Cifras oficiales de población de los municipios españoles, revisión del Padrón Municipal 1 January 20256Official |
Population fell 27.7% between 2015 and 2025, from 4,852,911 to 3,506,730.
Foreign residents rose 10.4% between 2015 and 2025, from 593,846 to 655,402.
International community in Madrid
Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.
Country of birth
Population resident in Spain; both sexes; official INE Census 2021 municipal table · 2021 Census
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 3,277,451 | 100.0% |
| Spain | 2,509,302 | 76.6% |
| South America | 389,627 | 11.9% |
| Central America and Caribbean | 106,566 | 3.3% |
| European Union (without Spain) | 95,911 | 2.9% |
| Asia | 72,871 | 2.2% |
| Africa | 49,671 | 1.5% |
| Rent of Europe | 29,756 | 0.9% |
| North America | 22,833 | 0.7% |
| Oceania | 914 | 0.0% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source11
Citizenship
Population resident in Spain; both sexes; official INE Census 2021 municipal table · 2021 Census
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 3,277,451 | 100.0% |
| Spanish | 2,792,283 | 85.2% |
| South America | 169,629 | 5.2% |
| European Union (without Spain) | 114,847 | 3.5% |
| Asia | 68,020 | 2.1% |
| Central America and Caribbean | 61,032 | 1.9% |
| Africa | 35,141 | 1.1% |
| Rent of Europe | 23,131 | 0.7% |
| North America | 12,949 | 0.4% |
| Oceania | 360 | 0.0% |
| Statelens | 59 | 0.0% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source12
Is Madrid a good place to live?
There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.
Additional context
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 1,322,853 households | 31 Dec 2021 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain13Official |
| Labour Supply Count | 1,608,351 people | 31 Dec 2021 | Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain13Official |
| Private Clinic Present | true | 31 Dec 2025 | Catálogo Nacional de Hospitales 20251Official |
Which comparable places record less crime than Madrid?
2 places have a lower recorded total crime rate than Madrid in this strictly source-matched cohort.
Madrid: 6,549.2 offences/100k (2025).
Only the same source family, offence definition, period, grain and denominator method are compared. This is recorded crime, not a claim about personal safety. Official source6
Common questions
Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.
How many people live in Madrid?
The published population was 3,506,730 people in January 2025. Source: INE — Cifras oficiales de población de los municipios españoles, revisión del Padrón Municipal 1 January 2025.
How much does it cost to rent in Madrid?
Average net cold rent is 14 EUR/m² per month (2024), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 980 EUR a month before utilities. Source: SERPAVI 2026 — Tabla 2, Madrid.
Is the air quality good in Madrid?
The annual PM2.5 mean is about 8.7 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: No MITECO 2024 station measurement point is registered inside the exact target INE5 municipality; a nearest-station or CCAA value would change the requested place grain and is not accepted..
How safe is Madrid?
Police recorded about 6,953 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: MIR 2024 Q4 exact III. TOTAL INFRACCIONES PENALES, enero-diciembre 2024; INE 29005 denominator..
What is the unemployment rate in Madrid?
The unemployment rate is about 8.8 % (2024). Source: INE Urban Indicators — unemployment rate by city.
What is the typical salary around Madrid?
The median gross salary is 2,336 EUR/month. Source: INE Encuesta Anual de Estructura Salarial — 2024 median gross annual earnings.
Is Madrid a good place to live?
Madrid may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.
How many people born in Africa live in Madrid?
The official country of birth distribution records 49,671 people (1.5%) in the source-defined population for 2021 Census. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.
Which comparable places record less crime than Madrid?
2 places have a lower recorded total crime rate than Madrid in this strictly source-matched cohort. The comparison uses Ministerio del Interior Balance de Criminalidad Q4 2025 + INE Padrón municipal 2025, period 2025, and does not compare across incompatible police definitions.
Cite this page
Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.
APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 12). Madrid, Spain: rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/es/madrid/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_madrid-spain-rent-salary-cost-of-living_70fe88388056,
author = {ImmigrationDB},
title = {Madrid, Spain: rent, salary, cost of living},
publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-09-12},
version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/es/madrid/},
note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}Markdown citation
[Madrid, Spain: rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/es/madrid/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.
Sources
- Catálogo Nacional de Hospitales 2025 sanidad.gob.es · checked 2026-07-16
- estadisticasdecriminalidad.ses.mir.es recorded crime data estadisticasdecriminalidad.ses.mir.es · checked 2026-08-28
- estadisticasdecriminalidad.ses.mir.es recorded crime data estadisticasdecriminalidad.ses.mir.es · checked 2026-08-28
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-02
- INE — Cifras oficiales de población de los municipios españoles, revisión del Padrón Municipal 1 January 2025 INE · ine.es · checked 2026-08-13
- INE Encuesta Anual de Estructura Salarial — 2024 median gross annual earnings INE Encuesta Anual de Estructura Salarial · servicios.ine.es · checked 2026-07-29
- INE Urban Indicators — unemployment rate by city INE Urban Indicators · servicios.ine.es · checked 2026-07-26
- ine.es recorded crime data ine.es · checked 2026-08-28
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) ine.es · checked 2026-08-07
Show 20 more sources
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE), Spain servicios.ine.es · checked 2026-08-30
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica (INE), Spain servicios.ine.es · checked 2026-08-30
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain ine.es · checked 2026-08-07
- Ministerio de Sanidad – Catálogo Nacional de Hospitales 2025 sanidad.gob.es · checked 2026-08-03
- MIR 2024 Q4 exact III. TOTAL INFRACCIONES PENALES, enero-diciembre 2024; INE 29005 denominator. estadisticasdecriminalidad.ses.mir.es · checked 2026-07-16
- NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology NASA POWER · power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-09-12
- No MITECO 2024 station measurement point is registered inside the exact target INE5 municipality; a nearest-station or CCAA value would change the requested place grain and is not accepted. miteco.gob.es · checked 2026-07-15
- Official city transport tariff crtm.es · checked 2026-07-26
- Official INE 2024 municipality population divided by official INE 2024 municipality area. ine.es · checked 2024-01-01
- Official INE municipal population by country of nationality; foreign total derived as Total nationality minus España. ine.es · checked 2024-01-01
- OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
- OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
- SERPAVI 2026 — Tabla 2, Madrid SERPAVI 2026 · publicaciones.transportes.gob.es · checked 2026-07-26
- SETELECO Cobertura Banda Ancha España 2021-2025 digital.gob.es · checked 2025-06-30
- www.ine.es ine.es · checked 2026-07-14
- Lebenshaltungskosten in Madrid de.numbeo.com · checked 2026-07-26
- Numbeo numbeo.com · checked 2026-07-14
- Numbeo numbeo.com · checked 2026-08-03
- WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-26
- WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-26
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.