---
title: "Alcalá de Henares vs Mataró for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/alcala-de-henares-vs-mataro
description: "Under balanced weights Mataró edges it, 73 to 71, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. 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 Mataró for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Mataró edges it, 73 to 71, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Climate.** Mataró leads on climate, 50 to 42, against Alcalá de Henares. Comfortable months: 5 vs 6.
- **Air quality.** Mataró leads on air quality, 93 to 87, against Alcalá de Henares. PM2.5: 10.8 µg/m³ vs 8 µg/m³.

Where they are close: within five points on internet, getting there & around, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.

**Pick Alcalá de Henares if you want** no clear edge over Mataró in the data.

**Pick Mataró if you want** no clear edge over Alcalá de Henares in the data.

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

| Metric | Alcalá de Henares | Mataró | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 36 | 36 | tie |
| Safety | 76 | 76 | tie |
| Healthcare | 90 | 90 | tie |
| Internet | 90 | 91 | Mataró |
| Visa ease | 80 | 80 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 59 | 58 | Alcalá de Henares |
| Climate | 42 | 50 | Mataró |
| Air quality | 87 | 93 | Mataró |
| Quality of life | 81 | 81 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Alcalá de Henares | Mataró | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,200 | $2,200 | tie |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Alcalá de Henares | Mataró | 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 | Mataró | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 94.1 Mbps | 100 Mbps | Mataró |
| Upload | 92.5 Mbps | 92.1 Mbps | Alcalá de Henares |

## Visa

| Metric | Alcalá de Henares | Mataró | 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 | Mataró | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 235 | 233 | Alcalá de Henares |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 4 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Alcalá de Henares | Mataró | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 6 | Mataró |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 10.8 µg/m³ | 8 µg/m³ | Mataró |

## FAQ

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

Alcalá de Henares and Mataró cost about the same: roughly $2,200 per month for one person.

### Is Alcalá de Henares or Mataró safer?

Alcalá de Henares and Mataró 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 Mataró?

Mataró: a measured median of 100 Mbps versus 94.1 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Alcalá de Henares](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/alcala-de-henares) · [Mataró](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/mataro). 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-mataro