Neighbours on either side of the park. Salamanca has more metro lines and more shops; Retiro has the park as its back garden and quieter streets for family life.
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.
Families with young children, people who run or walk every day and anyone who wants a quiet neighborhood without giving up the centre.
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.
The district is uneven: JerĂłnimos and Ibiza are nothing like Estrella or Adelfas, in buildings or in price. Look at the street, not just the district name.
Public transport, arriving before 9:00 on a weekday, from Salamanca (Velázquez) and from Retiro (Ibiza). The faster one is in green.
| Destination | Salamanca | Retiro |
|---|---|---|
| Puerta del Sol | 11 minL2 | 15 minL2 |
| Nuevos Ministerios · AZCA | 12 minL4L10 | 16 minL9L6 |
| Cuatro Torres | 26 minL4L10 | 29 minL9L10 |
| Distrito TelefĂłnica | 38 minL4L10 | 41 minL9L10 |
| Atocha station | 18 minL4C10 | 21 minL9L2C4 |
| Airport T4 | 37 minL9L8 | 35 minL9L8 |
| IFEMA | 32 minL9L8 | 29 minL9L8 |
| Ciudad Universitaria (UCM · UPM) | 20 minL4L6 | 24 minL9L6 |
| Cantoblanco campus (UAM) | 45 minL4L10C4 | 50 minL9L6C4 |
| American School of Madrid | 34 minL4L10C10 | 40 minL9L6C10 |
| King's College, Soto de Viñuelas | No reasonable metro or rail | No reasonable metro or rail |
| Lycée Français de Madrid | 24 minL4 | 28 minL9L4 |
The 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 guideMadrid's most famous park as your back garden, quiet streets around it and the centre fifteen minutes away. One of the few central areas where life with children is easy.
Families with young children, people who run or walk every day and anyone who wants a quiet neighborhood without giving up the centre.
Read the Retiro guideAccording to rental contracts declared in 2024, Retiro is cheaper: its price-per-square-metre index is 115, against 131 in Salamanca (city of Madrid = 100).
Salamanca has 12 stations inside the area with 9 lines (L2, L4, L5, L6, L7, L9, C2, C7, C10); Retiro has 6 stations inside the area with 4 lines (L1, L2, L6, 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, Salamanca has 29 supermarkets, 27 schools and 484 bars, cafés and restaurants; Retiro has 22, 23 and 223.
Rent: SERPAVI (2024). Journeys: CRTM GTFS Metro de Madrid (05-27-2025), CRTM GTFS Metro Ligero (07-22-2026), Renfe GTFS CercanĂas (09-23-2026). Services: OpenStreetMap (ODbL), extracto de Geofabrik del 2026-09-24. Shapes: OpenStreetMap (ODbL) vĂa Nominatim · INE (secciones censales de La Moraleja). Calculated on 2026-09-24.
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