The latest City Council Survey on Quality of Life and Satisfaction with Public Services reveals a clear fact in the data: the districts where rents have fallen the most are also some of those with the most complaints and the lowest overall ratings.
The municipal survey, conducted by the City Council between September 19 and October 30, 2025, includes 8,593 interviews, about 400 for each of the 21 districts, and asks about quality of life, neighborhood problems, and satisfaction with public services. This is a telephone and online study with stratified sampling by district, age, and gender, which allows for district-by-district comparison of results and tracking of trends since 2006 in areas such as cleanliness, safety, mobility, and housing.
The districts with the most complaints… and falling rents
At the bottom of the satisfaction table are Puente de Vallecas, Villa de Vallecas, Vicálvaro, and Tetuán, all with a score of 7.4, below average but still notable. These are areas where residents most frequently report problems such as housing, the cost of living, insecurity, and the state of public spaces, and where the perception that the neighborhood “has worsened” in recent years is higher than in northern districts.
At the same time, data from theFotocasa Real Estate Indexon the market show that in 2025, rental prices have fallen in several of these districts: Puente de Vallecas has seen a decline of 5.2%, Villaverde of 8.4%, Latina of 5%, and Fuencarral-El Pardo of 5.4%, while in Madrid city center the average adjustment has been -0.6%. Barajas, another district with lower incomes and more moderate satisfaction, leads the declines with -13.7%, while also ranking among the cheapest areas to rent alongside Moratalaz, Villa de Vallecas, and Villaverde itself.
Image courtesy of: Zarateman / Wikimedia Commons
The north-south divide widens
At the other end of the scale, Salamanca, Chamartín, Barajas, and Hortaleza lead the way in terms of satisfaction with scores of 8–8.1, despite also being among the districts with the most expensive rents in the city. Their residents report fewer problems with cleanliness, safety, or services and rate transportation, green spaces, and cultural activities more highly, reinforcing a north-south divide that the survey itself has been reflecting for years.
The result paints a picture of a city where paying less rent does not always translate into a better life. On the contrary, the districts that have become cheaper are also, in many cases, those with the most neighborhood complaints and the lowest satisfaction with the neighborhood. This is a conclusion that the City Council acknowledges as a challenge: municipal sources emphasize that the data should be used to guide investment and public policy in areas where rent is somewhat lower, but where the perception of quality of life still lags behind.