The two districts people weigh most when they want central Madrid without living in the old centre. Chamberí is squares, markets and terraces; Salamanca is a grid of straight streets, doormen and shops.
Couples and professionals who want to live the city on foot and without a car, and families who put the school and the neighborhood ahead of floor space.
Newcomers with a comfortable budget who want everything close by without the noise of the old centre: families with young children, relocated executives, couples who walk everywhere.
It has the most expensive rent per square metre of all the areas we analyse: 33% above the Madrid city average, according to SERPAVI contract data. Demand is high and good flats go quickly.
There is no trick: according to SERPAVI, the official register of signed rental contracts, rent per square metre here is 31% above the Madrid city average. It is one of the most expensive areas we analyse, and competition for good flats is stiff.
Public transport, arriving before 9:00 on a weekday, from Chamberí (Iglesia) and from Salamanca (Velázquez). The faster one is in green.
| Destination | Chamberí | Salamanca |
|---|---|---|
| Puerta del Sol | 7 minL1 | 11 minL2 |
| Nuevos Ministerios · AZCA | 10 minL1L6 | 12 minL4L10 |
| Cuatro Torres | 26 minL1L10 | 26 minL4L10 |
| Distrito Telefónica | 38 minL1L10 | 38 minL4L10 |
| Atocha station | 13 minL1 | 18 minL4C10 |
| Airport T4 | 37 minL1L6L8 | 37 minL9L8 |
| IFEMA | 33 minL1L6L8 | 32 minL9L8 |
| Ciudad Universitaria (UCM · UPM) | 14 minL1L6 | 20 minL4L6 |
| Cantoblanco campus (UAM) | 41 minL1C4 | 45 minL4L10C4 |
| American School of Madrid | 32 minL1L10C10 | 34 minL4L10C10 |
| King's College, Soto de Viñuelas | No reasonable metro or rail | No reasonable metro or rail |
| Lycée Français de Madrid | 33 minL7L4 | 24 minL4 |
Squares with café terraces, long-standing food markets and seven Metro lines, a short hop from Sol. It is the Madrid many people picture before they arrive — priced accordingly.
Couples and professionals who want to live the city on foot and without a car, and families who put the school and the neighborhood ahead of floor space.
Read the Chamberí guideThe 19th-century grid that still sets the top of Madrid's rental market: straight streets, buildings with a concierge and five Metro lines. You can see what you pay for.
Newcomers with a comfortable budget who want everything close by without the noise of the old centre: families with young children, relocated executives, couples who walk everywhere.
Read the Salamanca guideAccording to rental contracts declared in 2024, Chamberí and Salamanca are practically the same: indexes of 133 and 131 in price per square metre (city of Madrid = 100).
Chamberí has 14 stations inside the area with 7 lines (L1, L2, L4, L5, L6, L7, L10); Salamanca has 12 stations inside the area with 9 lines (L2, L4, L5, L6, L7, L9, C2, C7, C10). 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, Chamberí has 51 supermarkets, 45 schools and 731 bars, cafés and restaurants; Salamanca has 29, 27 and 484.
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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