---
title: "Alcalá de Henares vs Madrid for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/alcala-de-henares-vs-madrid
description: "Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 71. Alcalá de Henares is stronger on nothing outright; Madrid on getting there & around. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Alcalá de Henares vs Madrid for digital nomads

Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 71. Alcalá de Henares is stronger on nothing outright; Madrid on getting there & around. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Getting there & around.** Madrid leads on getting there & around, 74 to 59, against Alcalá de Henares. Non-stop airport destinations: 235 vs 235.
- **Internet.** Alcalá de Henares leads on internet, 90 to 80, against Madrid. Measured download: 94.1 Mbps vs 59 Mbps.
- **Cost of living.** Alcalá de Henares leads on cost of living, 36 to 29, against Madrid. Monthly cost, one person: $2,200 vs $2,535.

Where they are close: within five points on air quality, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.

**Pick Alcalá de Henares if you want** to spend about $335 less a month; faster internet (94.1 Mbps measured).

**Pick Madrid if you want** more flights and easier getting around.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Alcalá de Henares | Madrid | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 36 | 29 | Alcalá de Henares |
| Safety | 76 | 76 | tie |
| Healthcare | 90 | 90 | tie |
| Internet | 90 | 80 | Alcalá de Henares |
| Visa ease | 80 | 80 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 59 | 74 | Madrid |
| Climate | 42 | 42 | tie |
| Air quality | 87 | 88 | Madrid |
| Quality of life | 81 | 81 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Alcalá de Henares | Madrid | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,200 | $2,535 | Alcalá de Henares |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | $1,577 | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Alcalá de Henares | Madrid | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 0.73 | 0.73 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 68.7 | 68.7 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 84 | 84 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 83.3 yrs | 83.3 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Alcalá de Henares | Madrid | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 94.1 Mbps | 59 Mbps | Alcalá de Henares |
| Upload | 92.5 Mbps | 41.9 Mbps | Alcalá de Henares |

## Visa

| Metric | Alcalá de Henares | Madrid | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | International teleworking visa (digital nomad visa) | International teleworking visa (digital nomad visa) | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | $2,741/mo | $2,741/mo | tie |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | unlimited | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Alcalá de Henares | Madrid | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 235 | 235 | tie |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 5 | Madrid |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 5 | Madrid |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Alcalá de Henares | Madrid | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 5 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 10.8 µg/m³ | 10.3 µg/m³ | Madrid |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Alcalá de Henares or Madrid?

Alcalá de Henares is cheaper: about $2,200 per month versus $2,535 for one person.

### Is Alcalá de Henares or Madrid safer?

Alcalá de Henares and Madrid score the same on safety (76), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Alcalá de Henares or Madrid?

Alcalá de Henares: a measured median of 94.1 Mbps versus 59 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Alcalá de Henares](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/alcala-de-henares) · [Madrid](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/madrid). Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/alcala-de-henares-vs-madrid