Planning your commute

It is for anyone thinking about moving to Spain, planning the move or already making it. By the end you will know how to choose a home around the trip you will really make, and what to do when that trip breaks down.

Start with "Designing your commute before you choose a home". It helps you set a limit for time, cost and transfers, and match areas to it. Then read "How to test a commute before you sign a lease" so you try the real trip at rush hour before you commit.

Fare zones and passes, parking and low-emission zones, and school admission are covered elsewhere.

Key rules

• Employer pass benefit: An employer-provided public transport pass is exempt from income tax up to 1,500 euros a year per employee.
• Strike notice: Strikes in public services such as public transport must be announced at least 10 days in advance.
• Time limit: Treat 30 to 45 minutes one way as a good target and about an hour as the most you should accept.
• Real hours: Test every candidate area with the arrival time set to your actual working hours, in both directions.
• Both directions: Test the morning trip and the return trip, not just one of them.
• Door to door: Time the whole journey from your front door, including walking and waiting.

Planning your commute: the whole process, step by step

• Set your commute budget in time, cost and transfers (Designing your commute before you choose a home): before you start searching for a home

• Compare rent saved with pass, fuel and time costs (Is a longer commute worth cheaper rent in Spain?): before you shortlist areas

• Check the current monthly pass price for your zone with the regional transport authority: before you decide on a commuter town

• Match areas to split working days and to two workplaces if needed (How split working days shape where to live; Choosing one home for two different commutes): while you shortlist areas

• Judge car dependence, cycling and walking for each shortlisted area (Will you need a car in this neighbourhood?; Cycling or walking to work in Spanish cities): before you book viewings

• Test the real trip at rush hour and on the return (How to test a commute before you sign a lease): before you sign a lease

• Look up planned summer track works and replacement buses: in spring for the summer, as operators usually announce works some weeks ahead

• Build a fallback plan for strikes (Commuting through rail strikes and service disruption): strikes in public transport must be announced at least 10 days in advance, so check for notices every week

Planning your commute: questions that cross several articles

How long a commute do people in Spanish cities treat as acceptable?

Most workers treat about 30 to 45 minutes one way as acceptable, and around an hour is the upper limit, mainly in Madrid and Barcelona. Read Designing your commute before you choose a home to set your own limit, then Is a longer commute worth cheaper rent in Spain? to price it.

Can I trust a weekday rush-hour timetable for evenings, Sundays and August?

No, evening, Sunday and August service is less frequent than weekday rush hour. Metro in Madrid and Barcelona typically runs every 2 to 5 minutes at peak and every 6 to 10 minutes or more in the evening and on Sundays, and August brings reduced timetables. Test the trip at those times, as explained in How to test a commute before you sign a lease.

How late can I get home by metro or train?

Last services are roughly midnight to 1:30 on metro in Madrid, with Barcelona closing around midnight on weekdays and running all night on Saturdays, and Cercanías last trains leave around 22:30 to midnight. This matters for late finishes, so read How split working days shape where to live and Will you need a car in this neighbourhood?.

How much cheaper is a commuter town than the centre?

For a comparable flat, centres are typically around 30 to 60 percent more expensive than commuter towns, with Madrid and Barcelona the costliest. Subtract the pass and travel time using Is a longer commute worth cheaper rent in Spain?, and check the transfers in Designing your commute before you choose a home.

How reliable are Cercanías and metro if I depend on them daily?

Metros report very high punctuality, and Cercanías averages in the mid-90s for punctuality, though Rodalies in Catalonia has had serious disruption. Plan a backup using Commuting through rail strikes (huelgas) and service disruption, and consider a car or bike as in Will you need a car in this neighbourhood?.

Times, frequencies, rents and punctuality figures change; check them with the operator or the listing sites.