Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

MADRID

Renting in Spain: Madrid’s most affordable areas

Chamberí, Salamanca and Retiro may be where most madrileños and newcomers want to live in Madrid, but for many this is simply not economically feasible. 

Published: 16 October 2023 17:34 CEST
Updated: 21 October 2023 08:28 CEST
madrid cheap neighbourhoods to rent
Rents in the Spanish capital have increased by 60 percent in a decade. Photo: VacacionesPagodasBlog/Pixabay

Renting in Spain’s capital now costs on average €17.4/m2, which means that a 70 square metre apartment is going for €1,218 a month.

That’s more than 60 percent costlier than it used to be for tenants in Madrid a decade ago, a trend which has been seen across Spain’s big cities and elsewhere around the world. 

There’s also the fact that there are not enough well-priced properties to rent in the capital, as short-term holiday lets proliferate and landlords drive up prices to deal with their rising costs and mortgage interest rates. 

It’s a cutthroat market where you have to move quickly and often cough up a huge deposit for not much in return.

As usual, people who want to cut costs and get a better alquiler have to move further out of the city to bag the good deals.

According to Spain’s main property websites Idealista and Fotocasa, the neighbourhoods in Madrid city where it’s cheapest to rent as of September 2023 are:

Vicálvaro (€11.9/m2): To the east of the city, it has four metro stations and one train station and plenty of supermarkets. There are of course better neighbourhoods

Villaverde (€12.5/m2): Divided into Villaverde Alto and Villaverde Bajo, it’s located in southern Madrid, connected to the city centre via Line 3 and several buses, as well as having plenty of green spaces. Villaverde is multicultural, residential and has a better reputation than it used to.

Moratalaz (€12.6/m2): Another barrio in southern Madrid that’s cheaper than average to rent in, it’s known for being peaceful and well connected (you can reach Sol or Atocha in under 30 minutes by metro or bus).

Vallecas (€13.5/m2 to €14.5/m2): The traditional working class neighbourhood of Vallecas offers affordable rents, more so in La Villa de Vallecas than Puente de Vallecas, as the latter is more central. It has some dodgier areas, but for the most parts it’s good old lively and safe Madrid.

San Blas-Canillejas (€14.08/m2): Despite being a barrio of ill repute for decades due to drug problems that are long gone, San Blas is among the safest districts in Madrid nowadays, and shares some of the qualities of the aforementioned neighbourhoods: family friendly, multicultural, green and well connected. 

Hortaleza (€14.2/m2): This district is in Madrid’s wealthier northern half, and is very well equipped with everything from public libraries to health centres, sports facilities, parks and more. Hortaleza has 14 metro stations, two train stations and it has fast road access to the city centre. 

Renting in the Community of Madrid

Around half of the region of Madrid’s 6.6 million inhabitants live outside of the city walls of the capital in other towns and villages, many of which are well connected via buses, Cercanías trains and motorways.

You may still have to commute for around an hour if you work in Madrid city centre but depending on your personal circumstances life in a quieter part of the region that’s still close to the capital could be what suits you best. 

It’s also possible that you’ll be able to find a bigger place to rent for less.

San Sebastián de los Reyes (€12.2/m2): It takes around 50 minutes to reach this municipality to the north of Madrid from the city centre and even less by car. ‘Sanse’ is more of its own town with a bigger array of shops, bars and even festivals, when compared to some of the more residential neighbourhoods on this list.  

Torrejón de Ardoz (€10.7/m2): Close to Barajas airport, Torrejón is another separate municipality from Madrid city, a pleasant town which is home to the European Union Satellite Centre and that overall has plenty of character.

Aranjuez (€8.5/m2): This historic town on the outer limits of the Community of Madrid is technically closer to Toledo than it is to Spain’s capital, but it’s still possible to reach the centre in under an hour by car. Aranjuez has lots of majestic buildings and gardens, and even a royal palace. 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

LEGAL HELP

Noisy local fiestas: What to do when your Spanish town hall is responsible

Town and city fiestas are commonplace in Spain and they’re part of what made many of us fall in love with the country in the first place, but sometimes the town hall can overstep and the noise pollution just gets too much to bear for neighbours.

Published: 22 May 2024 09:35 CEST
Noisy local fiestas: What to do when your Spanish town hall is responsible

It’s bad enough in Spain when you have to deal with noisy neighbours or loud bars and clubs, but what about when the culprit is your ayuntamiento (town hall) or city council?

If you want to know what your rights are on noise from construction, find out here, what to do about noisy neighbours here and about bars and clubs here. 

During these local fiestas (every city, town and village has at least one a year), councils set up concert and performance venues form of open-air stages or tents called casetas or carpas.

In these cases, there’s often no sound insulation and the noise carries much further as everything happens outside.

Even though these festivals may only go one for a week or two, they can often disturb residents who aren’t in attendance and are trying to sleep.

You could be someone who needs extra sleep like a doctor, nurse or firefighter, you may be ill or have small children, there are many reasons why you might not be able or want to join in. Even if you are in the minority, your rights should still be respected.

In fact, in places such as Barcelona, when the local Gràcia festival takes place, there’s so much noise created by neighbourhood organisers that some people even decide to leave their apartments for the week as they know they won’t be able to sleep.

This option is of course not open to everyone, and in truth, you shouldn’t have to leave your home temporarily because of a celebration that is supposed to bring joy to the local population.

So, what can you legally do and what are your rights?

Even city and town councils must continue to comply with municipal by-laws during local fiestas. The Spanish Civil Code guarantees that you should have respect in your own home.

Law 40/2015, of October 1st, on the Legal Regime of the Public Sector, which came into force in October 2016, establishes that “Public Administrations objectively serve the general interests and act in accordance with the principles of effectiveness, hierarchy, decentralisation and coordination, with full submission to the Constitution and the Law”. 

This means that even the authorities must uphold the law and serve their people. They have a public responsibility to manage and to do it to the best of their abilities.

The first thing to keep in mind is that you stand a much better chance of getting your council to listen if you find other people who are affected too, so it’s not just you complaining on your own.

Make sure to talk to your neighbours or others living on the same street to find out if they’re also affected by the noise and form a group of people who share your grievances.

In theory, councils and ayuntamientos are in charge of enforcing celebration schedules, making sure the volume of music isn’t too loud, controlling the capacity at venues and enforcing alcohol laws so that people are not drinking on the street (if it’s not allowed in that region).

READ ALSO – FACT CHECK: No, Spain’s Balearics haven’t banned tourists from drinking alcohol

According to Law 7/2002 on protection against noise pollution, these are the maximum sound levels allowed for leisure venues:

Nightclubs: 104 decibels

Venues with musical entertainment: 90 decibels

Game rooms: 85 decibels

Bars and restaurants: 80 decibels

Find out if the festival events and activities infringe on any of these rules and regulations above and if they do then you have a case to take to your town hall.

Technically, the festivals should take place at a local fairground or somewhere away from the main residential area, but we know that this is not always the case. The concerts and events often happen in the very streets and squares where people live.

Firstly, you need to contact your ayuntamiento or local council or explain the problem. It’s best if you put it in writing so there’s a record of what you’ve said.

Try to include as much evidence as possible as to how the festivals are breaking the rules and include testimonials from as many neighbours as you can.

Organisers may not listen to you the first time, but if you keep contacting them, they will be forced to listen and have to respond.

If the situation is the same every year and they still don’t change anything, then you and your neighbours should contact a lawyer to represent you and take the matter to court.

This has actually been done several times by different communities throughout the country and in many instances, the law has sided with the people instead of the authorities.

In 2017, the Superior Court of Justice of Navarra, sided with a community of owners in Mutilva Baja when they complained about noise coming from an outdoor tent which had been erected for the festivities of the local patron saint. They claimed it was noise pollution above the legal levels and said the council had done nothing to try and reduce it.  

In another case in Getafe, thanks to a neighbourhood protest led by a lawyer specialising in noise pollution called Ricardo Ayala, the carnival celebrations were moved to the fairgrounds on the outskirts of the city.

Again in 2022, in Castilla-La Mancha, the Supreme Justice Tribunal imposed a sentence on the the Puerto Lápice City Council due to damages derived from noise pollution from musical events held in the town square.

The celebrations were not forced to be stopped completely but the council did have to agree with a limitation on hours and noise levels specifically for the concerts held in tents outside. It did not affect any other part of the festival.

Therefore, it is possible to take legal action against your ayuntamiento if they are breaking the law, but there’s no guarantee it will be a straightforward process.

SHOW COMMENTS