Choosing one home for two different commutes

Key rules

• Method: Rank areas by door-to-door travel time to both workplaces, never by the midpoint on a map.
• Test time: Check each trip for a Monday 8:00 departure.
• Network: Most Spanish cities have radial networks, so a trip between two suburbs may pass through the centre.
• Total cost: Add rent, transport passes and parking before you decide.

Don't pick the geographic middle

The point halfway between two workplaces is often a bad choice. Most Spanish city networks are radial: lines run from the centre out to the suburbs. Two places that look close on a map can be a long ride apart if you must go into the centre and back out again. Choose by door-to-door travel time instead.

Compare areas with one method

Use the same method for every area on your shortlist. Pick one:

• Add the two commute times. This gives the lowest total travel for the household.
• Take the longer of the two. This protects the person with the harder trip.
• Use a weighted score. Count each commute by days per week in the office, cost and reliability. Use this if the two jobs differ a lot.

Then add rent, transport pass costs and parking for each area, and rank the areas.

Test each commute properly

1. List candidate areas near either workplace and along the lines that serve both.
2. Put each address into a journey planner for a Monday 8:00 departure. That is the trip you will actually make.
3. Open the operator's network map. Check whether each trip needs a cross-city or orbital line, or goes through the centre and changes there.
4. Score each area with your chosen method.

What counts as a reasonable commute

Most workers in Spanish cities treat 30 to 45 minutes one way as acceptable. Around an hour is the upper limit, mostly in the Madrid and Barcelona metro areas. Mid-sized cities are usually shorter.

Where links avoid the centre

Only some large cities have lines that skip the centre. Most other cities have radial links only.

• Madrid: Metrosur (Line 12) circles Leganés, Getafe, Fuenlabrada and Alcorcón. Cercanías C-5 links Humanes, Móstoles, Atocha and Getafe. C-7 crosses the north-east via Chamartín.
• Barcelona: Rodalies R4, the partly orbital metro Lines 9 and 10, and the Trambesòs and Trambaix trams. The FGC Vallès lines (S1, S2) link Sabadell and Terrassa without going through the centre.
• Valencia: Metrovalencia lines 4, 6 and 8, plus tram links around the city.
• Bilbao, Seville, Zaragoza: Bilbao's metro lines cross the area. Seville has one metro line and Cercanías C-1. Zaragoza has one tram line.

Line numbers and openings change, so check the operator's current network map.

The checklist and FAQ below repeat these steps in short form.

Checklist

• Shortlist candidate areas by door-to-door travel time to both workplaces, not by the geographic midpoint.

• Check each commute in a journey planner for a Monday 8:00 departure.

• Look at the operator's network map to see whether each trip needs a cross-city or orbital line, or goes through the centre.

• Compare areas using one method: add the two commute times, or take the longer of the two to protect the person with the longer trip.

• Check each commute against 30 to 45 minutes one way, and treat around an hour as the upper limit.

Commute figures and line numbers change; confirm them in a journey planner and on your city's operator network map.

Frequently asked questions

How long a one-way commute is normal in Spanish cities?

Most workers in Spanish cities treat 30 to 45 minutes one way as acceptable. Around an hour is the upper limit people tolerate, mainly in the Madrid and Barcelona metro areas. Mid-sized cities tend to run shorter, so use the lower end there.

Which Spanish cities have rail or metro links that avoid the centre?

Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia have the most links between non-central areas. In Madrid, Metrosur (Line 12) circles Leganés, Getafe, Fuenlabrada and Alcorcón. In Barcelona, the FGC Vallès lines link Sabadell and Terrassa directly. Most other cities have radial links only, so check the operator's network map first.

What time should I use when testing a commute in a journey planner?

Test each commute for a Monday departure at 8:00, the real rush hour. Do this for both jobs and every candidate area, so the times you compare are the ones you will actually live with.