The eastern ring in two versions. Alcalá is a university city with a historic centre and commuter trains to Atocha; Rivas is a young town with a direct metro line and plenty of green.
University of Alcalá (UAH) students, people working from home two or three days a week, and anyone who wants to live in a real town with its own street life, not a suburb.
Young couples and anyone after newer housing, greenery and fresh air — with a Metro line and no need for a car.
Thirty-five minutes by train at best, and services thin out outside rush hour. It isn't a comfortable option for going into Madrid every day.
Line 9 into the centre is long: half an hour to Príncipe de Vergara and quite a bit more to west Madrid.
Public transport, arriving before 9:00 on a weekday, from Alcalá de Henares (Alcalá de Henares) and from Rivas-Vaciamadrid (Rivas Futura). The faster one is in green.
| Destination | Alcalá de Henares | Rivas-Vaciamadrid |
|---|---|---|
| Puerta del Sol | 44 minC2C4 | 39 minL9C2C4 |
| Nuevos Ministerios · AZCA | 42 minC2C3 | 39 minL9C2 |
| Cuatro Torres | 47 minC2L10 | 58 minL9C2L10 |
| Distrito Telefónica | 53 minC2ML1L10 | 72 minL9C2L10 |
| Atocha station | 40 minC2 | 34 minL9C2 |
| Airport T4 | 47 minC2C1 | 66 minL9C2L8 |
| IFEMA | 69 minC2L8 | 61 minL9C2L8 |
| Ciudad Universitaria (UCM · UPM) | 59 minC2L6 | 51 minL9C2L6 |
| Cantoblanco campus (UAM) | 61 minC2C4 | 76 minL9C2C4 |
| American School of Madrid | 74 minC2C10 | 66 minL9C2C10 |
| King's College, Soto de Viñuelas | No reasonable metro or rail | No reasonable metro or rail |
| Lycée Français de Madrid | 72 minC2L9L4 | 61 minL9L4 |
A university city with a UNESCO World Heritage old town, around half an hour from Atocha by train, with rents that look nothing like Madrid's.
University of Alcalá (UAH) students, people working from home two or three days a week, and anyone who wants to live in a real town with its own street life, not a suburb.
Read the Alcalá de Henares guideThe town with the youngest population in the Madrid region, a direct Metro line into the city and the Sureste Regional Park as its back garden.
Young couples and anyone after newer housing, greenery and fresh air — with a Metro line and no need for a car.
Read the Rivas-Vaciamadrid guideAccording to rental contracts declared in 2024, Alcalá de Henares and Rivas-Vaciamadrid are practically the same: indexes of 67 and 66 in price per square metre (city of Madrid = 100).
Alcalá de Henares has 3 stations inside the area with 2 lines (C2, C7); Rivas-Vaciamadrid has 3 stations inside the area with 1 line (L9). To see which suits you, check how long each takes to your destination in the journeys table.
Within a kilometre of each area's centre, Alcalá de Henares has 22 supermarkets, 37 schools and 167 bars, cafés and restaurants; Rivas-Vaciamadrid has 10, 7 and 68.
Rent: SERPAVI (2024). Journeys: CRTM GTFS Metro de Madrid (05-27-2025), CRTM GTFS Metro Ligero (07-22-2026), Renfe GTFS Cercanías (09-23-2026). Services: OpenStreetMap (ODbL), extracto de Geofabrik del 2026-09-24. Shapes: OpenStreetMap (ODbL) vía Nominatim · INE (secciones censales de La Moraleja). Calculated on 2026-09-24.
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