What city person hasn’t fantasized about living in a village? Strolling through the countryside after work, spending half as much on the shopping basket, renting a chalet for the price of an attic… Yes, it has many advantages. However, the lack of services and the limited leisure offer make moving to a small town remain an idea; an illusion difficult to materialize.
Of course, it is all a matter of priorities. Those who are looking for a home in a healthy environment at a low cost will have to leave the city. They have a unique opportunity to do so about 80 kilometers from the capital, in Cadalso de los Vidrios: a municipality of 3,203 inhabitants at the left end of the triangle that forms Madrid; west of the community, just between Avila and Toledo.
The greatest charm of Cadalso: the prices of its houses.
Cadalso stands out for its very cheap mortgages (taking into account that it is less than two hours away from the capital). The average price of houses for sale is around 800 euros per square meter, with a downward trend in recent months, which makes the municipality one of the places with the most affordable houses in the Community of Madrid.
According to the real estate portal Idealista, the town has 46 homes for sale. This is equivalent to 1.6% of the total number of homes (more than 50% are for holiday use). There are townhouses with several floors and more than 200 square meters for less than 85,000 euros; rustic farms with views of nature for less than 99,000 euros, and other offers impossible to beat in the capital.
The town of glass
Cadalso de los Vidrios has not always belonged to Madrid: during the War of Independence, the municipality was a forced passage for the French artillery on its march to Toledo. This province included the town on its map until 1833, when the new territorial division – still in force today – placed Cadalso within the territory of Madrid.
The origin of its name may come from its golden age, the sixteenth century, when the glass industry flourished in the town. It is said that the town came to supply the Royal Pharmacy of the Monastery of El Escorial, and that its glass factories continued to operate until the twentieth century.
Between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the most important monuments of Cadalso were built: the Palace of Villena, a Renaissance work linked to the Spanish nobility, and the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption (listed as a Cultural Interest). In addition, the factories that made the town famous were built during this period.