Municipality atlas
The 11 Municipalities of Madeira
Each municipality (concelho) has its own PDM (master plan), its own AL regime after DL 76/2024, its own microclimate, its own hazard profile. Pick the one you're eyeing and we'll give you the buyer-side view.
AL (Alojamento Local) status legend
Status reflects the state of DL 76/2024 municipal implementation as of 2026-04-24. Source: municipal câmaras + Diário da República da Região Autónoma da Madeira.
Madeira main island - 10 municipalities
Funchal
AL SuspendedSouth coast - regional capital
Regional capital; ~42% of foreign Idealista search demand on the island; highest taxa de esforço in Portugal; historic old town + Lido waterfront + Santa Rita hospital campus driving western-Funchal appreciation.
Calheta
AL OpenWest coast
West-coast sunniest microclimate; strong international expat demand; Arco da Calheta popular with German retirees; AL occupancy estimate 78%, yield estimates up to 7% gross.
Santa Cruz
AL OpenSouth-east coast
Madeira International Airport sits in this concelho; 20-minute commute to Funchal; strongest value-per-euro for buyers who want south-coast sun without paying the Funchal premium.
Ribeira Brava
AL OpenSouth coast - west of Funchal
Strong south-coast sun exposure; AL / tourism yield is solid; coastal commute to Funchal via VR1.
São Vicente
AL OpenNorth coast
Lowest per-m² house prices on the island; niche luxury pockets inland; dramatic coastline; thinner international buyer market.
Câmara de Lobos
AL OpenSouth coast - immediate west of Funchal
Commutable to Funchal (15 minutes); emerging luxury developments on the coastal cliffs; documented landslide exposure on steep slopes inland.
Ponta do Sol
AL OpenSouth-west coast
Digital-nomad hub since Startup Madeira opened in 2021; 4,670+ nomads routed through the programme; the "sunniest corner" of the island by consensus.
Machico
AL Under reviewEast coast
East-coast revitalisation ongoing; the only Madeira municipality with academic PDM (master-plan) coverage in the MDPI literature; drafting its own AL brake in 2026.
Santana
AL OpenNorth-east coast
Traditional A-framed triangular houses; UNESCO-adjacent cultural heritage; thinnest foreign buyer demand of the main-island concelhos.
Porto Moniz
AL OpenFar north-west coast
Natural volcanic swimming pools; most rural concelho on the main island; strong seasonal tourism, thin year-round rental demand.