Side by side
Each place uses its own local data. National rules (economy, geopolitical stability, governance, tax & finance) are the same for both, so they cannot separate them. Neither wins everywhere; the tradeoffs below are what matter.
All about A CoruñaAll about MadridChange a place
Data as of
City · Galicia
A glass-fronted port city on a peninsula, with a Roman lighthouse, a long seafront and the Atlantic on three sides.
18th of 153 Spanish cities above 50,000
City · Comunidad de Madrid
Spain's biggest job market, world-class museums and a street life that runs late into the night.
17th of 153 Spanish cities above 50,000
Watch out: Rain and wind for much of the year; Few direct flights so Santiago or Madrid are the usual hubs.
Watch out: A competitive housing market that pushes many people to the suburbs; A city that sprawls into separate suburbs.
Of 40 figures both publish in the same unit, A Coruña is better on 18 and Madrid on 9; the rest are close or have no better direction.
| Figure | A Coruña | Madrid | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Rent per m² | €7.1 a month2024 | €14.0 a month2024 | Madrid 2.0× |
| Rent for a 70 m² flat | €497 a month2024 | €978 a month2024 | Madrid 2.0× |
| Typical rent, existing lease | €538 a month2024 | €869 a month2024 | A Coruña 38% lower |
| Rents, change in a year | 3.7%2024 | 3.6%2024 | about the same |
| Buying price per m² | €2,775Q2 2026 | €5,418Q2 2026 | Madrid 2.0× |
| Price of an 80 m² flat | €221,984Q2 2026 | €433,472Q2 2026 | Madrid 2.0× |
| House prices, change in a year | 7.9%Q2 2026 | 9.4%Q2 2026 | A Coruña 1.5 pts lower |
| Money & work | |||
| Household income per person | €18,040 a year2024 | €20,861 a year2024 | A Coruña 14% lower |
| Net income per household | €41,843 a year2024 | €53,213 a year2024 | A Coruña 21% lower |
| Unemployment | 8.5%2025 | 7.8%2025 | A Coruña 0.7 pts higher |
| Safety | |||
| Recorded crime | 50.0 per 1,000 people2024 | 68.9 per 1,000 people2024 | A Coruña 27% lower |
| Sexual offences | 0.25 per 1,000 people2024 | 0.51 per 1,000 people2024 | Madrid 2.0× |
| Homicides | 1.19 per 100k people2025 | 0.48 per 100k people2025 | A Coruña 2.5× |
| Robberies with violence | 87 per 100k people2025 | 210 per 100k people2025 | Madrid 2.4× |
| Home burglaries | 80 per 100k people2025 | 123 per 100k people2025 | A Coruña 35% lower |
| Thefts without violence | 1,394 per 100k people2025 | 2,069 per 100k people2025 | A Coruña 33% lower |
| Vehicle thefts | 15 per 100k people2025 | 110 per 100k people2025 | Madrid 7.3× |
| Health | |||
| Life expectancy | 83.9 years2023 | 84.9 years2023 | about the same |
| Hospital beds | 7.2 per 1,000 people2025 | 3.6 per 1,000 people2025 | A Coruña 2.0× |
| Climate | |||
| Days above 35 °C | 0 a year2015–2024 | 33 a year2015–2024 | Madrid 65.2× |
| Days above 30 °C | 5 a year2015–2024 | 78 a year2015–2024 | Madrid 16.6× |
| Nights above 20 °C | 0 a year2015–2024 | 11 a year2015–2024 | Madrid 113.0× |
| Pleasant days (18–28 °C, dry) | 118 a year2015–2024 | 84 a year2015–2024 | A Coruña 40% higher |
| Rainfall | 1,118 mm a year2015–2024 | 480 mm a year2015–2024 | A Coruña 2.3× |
| Rainy days (≥1 mm) | 147 a year2015–2024 | 79 a year2015–2024 | A Coruña 86% higher |
| Frost days | 0 a year2015–2024 | 46 a year2015–2024 | Madrid 465.0× |
| Getting around | |||
| Average commute (one way) | 40 min2021 | 54 min2021 | A Coruña 26% lower |
| Commute by public transport | 19% of commuters2021 | 44% of commuters2021 | A Coruña 24.6 pts lower |
| Commute by car | 53% of commuters2021 | 40% of commuters2021 | A Coruña 13.0 pts higher |
| Distance to the main airport | 52 km2026 | 14 km2026 | A Coruña 3.7× |
| Airport passengers | 1.3 million a year2025 | 68.0 million a year2025 | Madrid 52.5× |
| Internet | |||
| Homes that can get gigabit internet | 99%2025 | 99%2025 | about the same |
| Homes with fibre to the door | 99%2025 | 99%2025 | about the same |
| Education | |||
| Adults with a university degree | 57%2024 | 57%2024 | about the same |
| People | |||
| Population | 251,5432025 | 3,506,7302025 | Madrid 13.9× |
| Median age | 49.9 years2025 | 43.9 years2025 | A Coruña 14% higher |
| Residents aged 65+ | 25.7%2025 | 20.2%2025 | A Coruña 5.5 pts higher |
| Who lives here | |||
| Residents born abroad | 17.8%2025 | 29.3%2025 | A Coruña 11.5 pts lower |
| Residents with a foreign nationality | 8.9%2024 | 18.2%2024 | A Coruña 9.3 pts lower |
| Foreign residents, change in 5 years | 2.9 points2024 | 2.9 points2024 | about the same |
Data through Jun 2026 (A Coruña) and Jun 2026 (Madrid). Figures are compared only when both places publish them in the same unit; a dot marks the better value where better is clear.
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Always verify important information with the relevant official authority or a qualified adviser before acting. This website uses large language models together with various public data sources, official government documents and other established sources. Due to the amount of data on this website, some information might be wrong. Information may also be incomplete or outdated.