# Where to live in Madrid?



## LenaE (5 mo ago)

Hey, I am a young professional (female, 25 years old) who will be moving to Madrid in midst September,
due to work.
Currently, I am looking for apartments or shared-flats, mostly on idealista.
Does anyone has any recommendations for me regarding affordable areas with good living quality? Would you prefer studios or shared flats?
I will be working in Ciudad Lineal but am very flexible due to home office regulations.
I would like to have some bars and restaurants but also some parks near.
Thanks, Lena


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## dancingspider (Mar 4, 2018)

Try starting with a flat which is shared where they have all the utilities/internet already setup and you can simply move straight in and everything is in place.

Check out the filters on Idealista to refine the properties that are available that meet your criteria.

Go for somewhere central, with good transport links to where you work.


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

When you say "young professional" it automatically makes me think of high flying, high aspiring finance / legal / architect type. And that sometimes indicates social expectations. I know that this is a terrible case of prejudice and pigeon-holing, but it is something you need to be honest with yourself about.
If you want to live amidst potentially similar people (who will almost certainly be mainly white, middle class and university educated) you will need to be in one of the more exclusive areas. There are many, but anywhere in barrio Salamanca or around El Retiro park (if you are looking at the center) or Pozuelo de Alarcón (if you are looking at the commuter belt). You don't specify if you mean Madrid the city or Madrid the Community, but I assume you mean the city, or close to.
If, on the other hand you would be happy in a more working class area, you could look towards the south of Madrid where property is much cheaper.

Madrid has one of the biggest and furthest reaching metro systems in Europe so it's unlikely that you will have transport problems, but if you don't intend to drive here, being near a Metro is much more comfortable than being near a bus route. And if you do intend to drive, investigate carefully your parking options.

Apart from the social factors, which are linked to the economic factors of course (but you don't mention budget so I assume you are not on a tight one _EDIT: I noticed you say "affordable" but is that affordable on a German young professional's salary, or affordable on a 25 year old's salary in Spain?_), you need to list a few more priorities, virtually everywhere in Madrid has bars, restaurants and parks nearby, it is one of the European cities with most bars and most green space per capita.


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## LenaE (5 mo ago)

Hi, Overandout, thanks for your reply. I am certainly not the type of person you think I am. The term young professional was used by me because I found it on google and it shortly described that I am not student anymore but still at the beginning of my working career. I do not aspire huge amounts of money or status symbols. Just live in the "real" Madrid below "real" people, enjoy my life. It is just that sometimes I have to work from home that I would prefer people that is more calm in general. But thanks anyway for your recommendations


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## LenaE (5 mo ago)

dancingspider said:


> Try starting with a flat which is shared where they have all the utilities/internet already setup and you can simply move straight in and everything is in place.
> 
> Check out the filters on Idealista to refine the properties that are available that meet your criteria.
> 
> Go for somewhere central, with good transport links to where you work.


Thanks a lot, that is what I am going to do  !


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

LenaE said:


> Hi, Overandout, thanks for your reply. I am certainly not the type of person you think I am. The term young professional was used by me because I found it on google and it shortly described that I am not student anymore but still at the beginning of my working career. I do not aspire huge amounts of money or status symbols. Just live in the "real" Madrid below "real" people, enjoy my life. It is just that sometimes I have to work from home that I would prefer people that is more calm in general. But thanks anyway for your recommendations


Sorry if I seemed over presumptious, I did try to recognise that in my post, but when people come for work to Madrid, they are usually coming on expat packages with healthy wages from their home countries and additional relocation allowances. I myself did that when I was expatriated in Asia, so can't criticise.

Knowing better your situation, I would strongly recommend the south, south west of Madrid, the closer to the area around the river (Marid Rio) the better. It is a very popular green area with parks, venues, restaurants etc. The north bank is closer to the center and better regarded (we have a member on here who lives in that area and could tell you more). But as you can imagine it's a bit more expensive, move across to the south bank and it gets cheaper, the further south, and further from the river, the cheaper is the general rule. If you head more west, you can get close to Casa de Campo, which if you like the outdoors, but want to live within 20 minutes of the centre of the city is a paradise.

It's not hugely convenient for Ciudad Lineal, but if you don't have to commute daily, it would be where I would be looking.

If looing elsewhere in Madrid, there is normally a marked difference between property inside the M30 ring road, and that outside. Madrileños tend to consider that the "real Madrid" is only the part inside the ringroad, which makes property there more expensive by default.


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

As for looking for places to rent, I recommend trying the municiple renting scheme first.
Offer is limited there because it is a Town Hall run scheme, so everything has to be done legally, your deposit is lodged in the Escrow account and not held by the landlord. This is obviously something a lot of landlords don't want to do, but if you find a place via this scheme you are much less likely to get problems with the landlord.

https://www.emvs.es/Alquiler/SIA/RequisitosInscripcion/BuscasVivienda


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## webmarcos (Dec 25, 2012)

It's a fair few years since I rented accommodation in Madrid, but make sure to have back-up options if you are arriving September/October. It's always the most difficult time to find accommodation in Madrid, partly because all the schools and colleges are open again and their staff and students are all looking for somewhere to stay at the same time.


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## dancingspider (Mar 4, 2018)

If you are moving into a shared property then someone else has signed the contract and they are subletting a room and they tell you that the total rent is x and there are three equally is sized rooms, so you need to pay X/3, then ask to see the contract. You may not be required to sign a contract and this offers you flexibility as you can move out a lot easier. Equally you may be required to sign a contract which may be for a minimum period of six months or even longer. 

Be sure to get a receipt, detailing any money paid over, so rent plus deposit up front, to whom it was paid (including their Spanish ID) and don't be afraid to ass to see their ID document to verify the number. This is a business transaction where you will be handing over from 800 euros plus to a complete stranger! 

Good luck with your search!


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## LenaE (5 mo ago)

dancingspider said:


> If you are moving into a shared property then someone else has signed the contract and they are subletting a room and they tell you that the total rent is x and there are three equally is sized rooms, so you need to pay X/3, then ask to see the contract. You may not be required to sign a contract and this offers you flexibility as you can move out a lot easier. Equally you may be required to sign a contract which may be for a minimum period of six months or even longer.
> 
> Be sure to get a receipt, detailing any money paid over, so rent plus deposit up front, to whom it was paid (including their Spanish ID) and don't be afraid to ass to see their ID document to verify the number. This is a business transaction where you will be handing over from 800 euros plus to a complete stranger!
> 
> Good luck with your search!


Thanks a lot for the advice!


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## LenaE (5 mo ago)

webmarcos said:


> It's a fair few years since I rented accommodation in Madrid, but make sure to have back-up options if you are arriving September/October. It's always the most difficult time to find accommodation in Madrid, partly because all the schools and colleges are open again and their staff and students are all looking for somewhere to stay at the same time.


Thank you so much for your reply. I can imagine it will be hard at that time. Hope to be able to get everything fixed earlier.


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## The Spaniard (5 mo ago)

It's hard to take this question seriously. Madrid is a big , 6,5 million inhabitants city. Where to live depends very much on your lifestyle, budget and distance to your workplace. And by the way, you would get much better answers to this question on an Spanish-speaking forum, obviously.


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