People from Cantabria (Torrelavega or Santander) that moved to Madrid for work. Will you move back to Cantabria if you could? Asking mostly for people 30-40y

I was born in Torrelavega but lived and work abroad since I was 17y

I started working remotely for an international company from Torrelavega, but recently told to start hybrid 3 days on site in Madrid, even though all my coworkers are worldwide remote

I have my own paid place in Torrelavega. So the most important con is money spent on rent in Madrid. I do not own a car at the moment

I want to point out that I signed my contract as hybrid. But they let me fully work remote for 6 mo. 95% of the company works remote worldwide and none of my coworkers work onsite in Madrid office. I want to ask in a few months if they will let me continue working remote after testing life in Madrid

I am still torn in between living in Torrelavega or Madrid. Help me decide.

Pros of living in Torrelavega - Fully paid housing - Beaches nearby 20 min driving or 30-50 min by train/bus/walk - Santander just 30 min away by train/bus - Family living there - Gym and groceries and pharmacies just 10 min walk - Being able to save 70-75% of my salary and perhaps eventually being able to a buy a newer property in Suances or Santander, closer to the beach

Cons of living in Torrelavega - Humid weather with considerable rain and clouds in the winter/spring. Humidity during summer months can be too much - I don’t own a car at the moment, so I can only travel to Santander. There are buses to small towns, but not convenient. Most people own a car in Cantabria - I have a great work set up at home, but sometimes I feel isolated/devoid of human interaction - Most of the people are >70y and have not been able to meet anybody in over a year. It seems that most people have their own niche group. I went to a few hobbies regularly, like art classes or CF, but nobody wanted to meet after, even when offered. It’s very difficult to find crowds between 30-40y - The apartment is above bars, so there is constant noise throughout the day and way worse during the weekends

Pros of living in Madrid (just after a week here) - Sunny dry weather year round. Even when cold, it’s sunny - Lots of things to do on a daily basis. The city feels young. Lots of younger people everywhere

Cons of living in Madrid - High rents and it looks like it’s best to live inside M30 to meet other people and enjoy the endless activities. Is it even worth it to leave in nearby towns to save money but no experiences? - Most apartments are old and outdated - Going to the office 3 days a week when they are only a few people from HR and Finance that don’t even come frequently (unrelated departments, never interact with them to do my work). - Old office in barrio Almagro, semi-renovated inside. I am used to modern FAANG style offices when I worked in Bay Area - 45% of my salary will likely go away in rent and living vs 30% in Torrelavega

Last thing, most likely I will go back to the US due to the lack of opportunities and low wages in Spain in my field (Biotech). I needed to come back for a few years due to family reasons and was extremely difficult to find a good job. I think I have the best job I could find, but after a year of settling down in my hometown Torrelavega, they told me to move to Madrid office on a 3 day hybrid basis

I am used to live in big US/NorthAmerica cities and sometimes I felt trapped in Torrelavega. The worst con seems to be the humid rainy weather as well.