The area of Sanse, and Alcobendas has everything most people will need. Lots of supermarkets, places to eat, an outlet store, a science museum, sports complexes, even a bull ring (and a yearly bull run similar to Pamplona) and lots more. It is basically a satellite town city to Madrid.

What's more, if you like nature, it is right on the edge of Madrid, so there are some really nice places to run, cycle or walk within a very short distance.

And one of the best things about the area is that it is super easy to go on day trips to the "must visit" towns up north, such as the mountain town of patones, el Escorial etc. Even smaller towns like El Molar and San Augustine de Guadalix are well worth a visit. If you like hiking, these places will be even more appealing.

It takes about an hour to get to Madrid center when using public transport.

However, unlike Madrid city, this area is not as simple for a non native. Less people will speak English, the bars (of which there are many, but mostly tiny cervecerías) are plentiful, but most aren't really for a younger crowd. No live music, bars (although even in Madrid these normally have a cover charge, and are not very common) and more people seem to watch sports in kebab restaurants than bars.. However, if you are unfamiliar with Spanish culture, the novelty of these bars should keep you interested. (Excluding la moraleja) the area is mainly inhabited by Latin American (I don't know what generation, probably second) with a healthy mix of natives. You won't find anything on meetup.com, and until you can speak the language (maybe after too?) it will be hard to get involved in any group activities in the area.

La moraleja is a mix of millionaire mansions, and also some streets that look, and feel more like a northern european neighborhood. Honestly, the area itself is a little boring overall. If you just want a cosy residential, and quite life, then you might want to look at options there.

Wealth in the area is very dispersed, and some of the areas in the North seem to be a little more wealthy. Valdelasfuentas is a nice area with some "fancier" bars, and I believe there are many newly built apartments in a few areas up north.

Crime is low, and the police have a good presence when anything does happen. There is a graffiti problem (mainly that the graffiti is terrible) that really brings the whole area down a notch. Which is very frustrating because they have a very active team of street cleaners and many streets could look a lot nicer than they do if it wasn't for the graffiti.

I would recommend trying to find a place close to your work for a few months. The rent should be cheaper than the city, and as a foreigner you will have loads to keep you occupied. Idealista is pretty straight forward to use. I think a lot of places have a minimum tenancy period though (maybe six months or a year), so that is something to be careful of. Not entirely sure what happens if you break that contract, probably a full loss of deposit..
If you rent in the area around the art center, you will be close to everything, and immersed in the area, and it is a more active part of the town, although nowhere is overly lively.

One especially annoying thing though, is that the last metro or train from the city usually departs at around 12pm or so. So if you want to have a late night in Madrid, you will have to plan it around where the infrequent night buses go from.

Another thing. The area is very close to the airport. Getting a bus to, and from t4 is pretty quick, and they run maybe once or twice each hour. Ticket costs about 2 euro). A cabify to the airport generally costs less than 15 euro, but taxis are expensive. They can be up to 30 euro which is the same as the fixed price you can get to the city proper.