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The wealthiest municipality in Spain, a leafy western suburb of Madrid with private schools and hospitals and very high housing costs.
Pozuelo de Alarcón is a dormitory suburb on the western edge of Madrid, separated from the capital by the Casa de Campo park. It is the richest municipality in Spain by household income, a place of detached houses with gardens, gated estates, international schools and quiet tree-lined streets. The town has 89,770 residents (2025).
It is not a town to visit and does not try to be. It is a place for people who work in Madrid or abroad and want a safe, green, well-served base for a family, with the cost that goes with it. It suits executives and well-off families, and it makes little sense for anyone on a modest budget.
Data as of · the latest figures cover Jun 2026
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What the data says
Pozuelo de Alarcón stands out for prosperity; it is weaker on connectivity and digital. A typical 70 m² rental costs about €957 a month (2024).
Who it suits, 0 to 100
Practical conclusions we draw from Pozuelo de Alarcón’s figures. They are inferences, not official statistics: each says what it rests on.
You will meet English speakers, mostly in the centre and at international employers. Shops, landlords and schools expect Spanish. Contracts, the town hall and most doctors work in Spanish.
Summer nights stay warm, so sleep depends on a cooled bedroom. Check for air-conditioning before you sign.
Frosty nights are common. Many older Spanish flats are poorly insulated: ask about heating and the winter energy bill.
Good restaurants in the centre and along Avenida de Europa, with Spanish classics, Japanese and Italian places and a lot of business lunches.
Calm and orderly, with the school run and the commute setting the rhythm.
Terraces in the old town and the Plaza del Padre Vallet, early dinners and nights out in Madrid.
The old centre and Pozuelo Estación, the gated estates of La Finca and Monteclaro, and the university district of Somosaguas.
Spanish, with English common among the international families and in the business community.
Executives, professionals, diplomats and families with children in private schools.
The Casa de Campo, the Dehesa de Somosaguas and the Monte de Pozuelo for running and cycling.
The old town, around the church of the Asunción and the Plaza del Padre Vallet, still feels like a town, with bars, a market and shops. Pozuelo Estación, near the railway line, is a denser district of flats with the station and the main commercial street. Out towards the hills are the villa estates, among them La Finca, a gated private estate of large houses that has housed some of the best-known footballers and entertainers in Spain, and Monteclaro, with pines and tennis courts.
Daily life revolves around the car, the school and the club. Families send children to international and bilingual schools, with the American School of Madrid among them, and spend weekends at sports clubs, padel courts and golf courses. Dress is smart casual. Evenings are quiet, and for a big night out people go into Madrid.
The Somosaguas campus of the Complutense University brings students to the town for lectures in political science and economics, but they mostly live elsewhere. The Ciudad de la Imagen, a complex of television studios, is the one place in the town with a media culture.
Pozuelo was a small town on the road west out of Madrid, with a market, a church and the railway station that brought commuters. From the sixties, the Madrid middle class and then the very wealthy moved out of the centre to estates built on the holm-oak woods of the Dehesa de Somosaguas and Monteclaro, and the town became associated with company directors, professional footballers and television figures. Later, corporate offices, a television production district at the Ciudad de la Imagen and a cluster of international schools reinforced that profile.
The money shows in the figures. Household income is €32,612 a year (2024), the highest of any Spanish city of its size, and prosperity comes out strong. The price of living there is just as plain: a typical 70 m² flat rents for about €957 a month (2024), and buying costs €5,206 per square metre (Q2 2026). Housing comes out average, because incomes are high but prices are higher.
Street crime is low. Robbery is 21 per 100k people (2025), among the lowest of any Spanish city, and burglary is also low at 62 per 100k people (2025). Safety comes out average overall. The risk that does exist is burglary of detached houses, which the private security patrols of the gated estates aim to prevent.
Healthcare is private and public in different places. The large Quirónsalud university hospital sits in the town, and the main public hospital for the area, Puerta de Hierro, is in nearby Majadahonda. Digital infrastructure is below the best, with fibre reaching 95% of homes (2025), which is modest for such a rich town.
Figures for Pozuelo de Alarcón itself, not its region. Each shows the period it covers.
Each card uses Pozuelo de Alarcón data only and compares it with similar cities. Open “Why this score?” to see the measures behind it.
Prosperity is strong: in the top 10% of Spanish cities above 50,000.
Household income per person: 32,612 € a year per person — better than 100% of Spanish cities above 50,000
Strong: 100 out of 100, where 50 is typical for the comparison group. These are the measures behind it.
| Measure | Value | Compared with peers |
|---|---|---|
| Household income per personPozuelo de Alarcón · 2024 | 32,612 € a year per person | better than 100% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
Safety is around the middle compared with similar cities.
Not ranked: too little comparable evidence yet.
Robberies: 21.2 per 100k people — better than 98% of Spanish cities above 50,000
Average: 57 out of 100, where 50 is typical for the comparison group. These are the measures behind it.
| Measure | Value | Compared with peers |
|---|---|---|
| HomicidesPozuelo de Alarcón · 2025 | 1.11 per 100k people | better than 35% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| RobberiesPozuelo de Alarcón · 2025 | 21.2 per 100k people | better than 98% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| BurglariesPozuelo de Alarcón · 2025 | 62.4 per 100k people | better than 90% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| TheftsPozuelo de Alarcón · 2025 | 782 per 100k people | better than 84% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| Vehicle theftsPozuelo de Alarcón · 2025 | 69.1 per 100k people | better than 45% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
Climate is around the middle: behind most major European cities.
Pleasant days (18–28 °C, dry): 84.2 days a year — better than 61% of major European cities
Average: 43 out of 100, where 50 is typical for the comparison group. These are the measures behind it.
| Measure | Value | Compared with peers |
|---|---|---|
| Pleasant days (18–28 °C, dry)Pozuelo de Alarcón · 2015-01-01..2024-12-31 | 84.2 days a year | better than 61% of major European cities |
| Days above 35 °CPozuelo de Alarcón · 2015-01-01..2024-12-31 | 32.6 days a year | better than 7% of major European cities |
| Nights above 20 °CPozuelo de Alarcón · 2015-01-01..2024-12-31 | 11.3 nights a year | better than 42% of major European cities |
Housing is around the middle: behind most Spanish cities above 50,000.
House prices, change in a year: 9.07% — better than 85% of Spanish cities above 50,000
Average: 41 out of 100, where 50 is typical for the comparison group. These are the measures behind it.
| Measure | Value | Compared with peers |
|---|---|---|
| Rent per m²Pozuelo de Alarcón · 2024 | 13.7 €/m² a month | better than 2% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| Rents, change in a yearPozuelo de Alarcón · 2024 | 3.10% | better than 64% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| Buying price per m²Pozuelo de Alarcón · 2026-Q2 | 5,206 €/m² | better than 3% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| Rent growth a year, over 3 yearsPozuelo de Alarcón · 2024 | 4.33% | better than 66% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| House prices, change in a yearPozuelo de Alarcón · 2026-Q2 | 9.07% | better than 85% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
Digital is below average: behind most Spanish cities above 50,000.
Homes with fibre to the door: 95.3% — worse than 91% of Spanish cities above 50,000
Below average: 32 out of 100, where 50 is typical for the comparison group. These are the measures behind it.
| Measure | Value | Compared with peers |
|---|---|---|
| Homes that can get gigabit internetPozuelo de Alarcón · 2025 | 95.3% | better than 13% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| Homes with fibre to the doorPozuelo de Alarcón · 2025 | 95.3% | better than 9% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
| 5G coveragePozuelo de Alarcón · 2025 | 100% | better than 85% of Spanish cities above 50,000 |
Connectivity is weak: in the bottom 10% of major European cities.
Distance to the main airport: 21.7 km — worse than 95% of major European cities
Weak: 5 out of 100, where 50 is typical for the comparison group. These are the measures behind it.
| Measure | Value | Compared with peers |
|---|---|---|
| Distance to the main airportPozuelo de Alarcón · 2026-10-21 | 21.7 km | better than 5% of major European cities |
What we cannot score for Pozuelo de Alarcón yet
Highs around 35° in July, lows around -0° in January. 84 pleasant days a year (dry, 18–28 °C).
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9.9°C | -0.1°C | 40 mm |
| February | 12.2°C | 0.9°C | 32 mm |
| March | 14.9°C | 2.7°C | 57 mm |
| April | 18.2°C | 5.1°C | 59 mm |
| May | 23.6°C | 9.1°C | 33 mm |
| June | 29.2°C | 14.1°C | 28 mm |
| July | 34.7°C | 17.7°C | 10 mm |
| August | 33.9°C | 17.5°C | 19 mm |
| September | 27.1°C | 13.1°C | 41 mm |
| October | 21.7°C | 9.3°C | 70 mm |
| November | 14.5°C | 4.2°C | 49 mm |
| December | 11.4°C | 1.8°C | 43 mm |
The climate is continental. Summers are hot and dry, and very hot days number 33 a year (2015–2024), though the nights cool and tropical nights number only 11 a year (2015–2024). Houses with gardens and pools handle the heat easily, which is part of the appeal. Most families stay in town through July and use the pool and the club, and many leave for the coast in August when the town empties out.
Winters are cold and clear, with frost days numbering 46 a year (2015–2024), and the Guadarrama mountains to the north often show snow. Rain is modest, at 480 mm a year (2015–2024). The pleasant spring and autumn windows are short, and pleasant days number 84 a year (2015–2024).
Lines start with Spain; switch the others on to compare.
9.1% in Q2 2026
€13.7 per m² a month in 2024
€5,206 per m² in Q2 2026
Facts about the people who live in Pozuelo de Alarcón. Shown as context only: none of this changes a score.
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Fit from the data, 0 to 100, against other Spanish cities. Open a group to see the figures behind it.
Pozuelo is one of the places in Spain built for high earners, with privacy, security, private schools and top hospitals.
Not measured yet: Average dwelling size, Education, Environment, Healthcare, Income tax and social security, average earner, Total tax on labour, average earner.
This is what the town does best: schools, space, safety and sports clubs, with a price attached.
Better nearby for families with children: Fuenlabrada (62), Aranjuez (60), Coslada (60)
Not measured yet: 15-year-olds' maths (PISA), Average commute (one way), Average dwelling size, Childcare availability, Education, Environment, Healthcare, Jobs, Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), Pre-primary participation, Recorded crime.
A good address for meeting investors and clients, with the Ciudad de la Imagen and corporate offices nearby, though not a start-up hub.
Nothing stands out.
Better nearby for founders and self-employed: Alcobendas (69), Madrid (68), Coslada (64)
Not measured yet: Adults with a university degree, Jobs, Jobs in high-tech sectors, Regulatory quality, Residents born abroad.
Safe, quiet and well provided with private healthcare, though the cost and the car-based layout rule out many.
Better nearby for retirees: Coslada (56), Fuenlabrada (56), Pinto (55)
Not measured yet: Cost of Living, Doctors, Environment, Healthcare, Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂).
There is nothing for this persona in Pozuelo, since rents and prices are among the highest in Spain.
Better nearby for budget-conscious movers: Aranjuez (55), Valdemoro (54), Fuenlabrada (51)
Not measured yet: Cost of Living, Households spending >40% of income on housing, Jobs, Price level vs EU average, Unemployment.
The Casa de Campo and the Dehesa de Somosaguas are good for running and cycling, with the Guadarrama mountains an hour away.
Better nearby for beach, mountains and the outdoors: Madrid (44), Aranjuez (38), Pinto (38)
Not measured yet: Environment, Fine-particle pollution (PM2.5), Lifestyle, Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), Strong-wind days.
Comfortable if the budget is high, but there is little remote-worker culture and the fibre is uneven.
Better nearby for remote workers: Coslada (62), Torrejón de Ardoz (58), Alcobendas (54)
Not measured yet: Cost of Living, Fixed broadband penetration, Lifestyle, Residents born abroad.
Not a place for young people on a first salary, with the housing too dear and the evenings too quiet.
Not measured yet: Commute by public transport, Jobs, Jobs in high-tech sectors, Lifestyle, Median age, Median gross salary, Residents born abroad, Transport, Unemployment, Youth unemployment (15–24).
The Complutense campus at Somosaguas sits in the town, but renting here is dear, and most students commute from Madrid.
Not measured yet: Adults with a university degree, Commute by public transport, Cost of Living, Cycle most, Education, Lifestyle, Median age, Price level vs EU average, Transport, Walk most, Youth unemployment (15–24).
Culture is in Madrid, twenty minutes away, while Pozuelo offers a quiet town with a few galleries and an auditorium.
Nothing stands out.
Not measured yet: Adults with a university degree, Commute by public transport, Lifestyle, Median age, Residents born abroad, Transport, Walk most.
Taxes, residency and the wider economy are set nationally, so they are the same in Pozuelo de Alarcón as anywhere in Spain.
Compared with Pozuelo de Alarcón; each card says where it is better or worse for someone living there.
70 m²: €829 a month
Compare with Pozuelo de Alarcón70 m²: €713 a month
Compare with Pozuelo de Alarcón70 m²: €659 a month
Compare with Pozuelo de Alarcón70 m²: €553 a month
Compare with Pozuelo de Alarcón70 m²: €569 a month
Compare with Pozuelo de Alarcón70 m²: €885 a month
Compare with Pozuelo de AlarcónGuide written 2026-10-22. Figures are refreshed as new official data is published; the period beside each number says what it covers. “Our read” cards are our inferences from those figures. How we score
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