Narromine vs Dubbo

Dubbo is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 39 in Narromine. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Dubbo: a median of $663,000, against $440,000 in Narromine, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Narromine tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Dubbo

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (88 vs 8)
  • has more childcare (32 vs 3)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (8 vs 1)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Narromine

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($272,500 vs $558,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($440,000 vs $663,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Narromine has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $310/wk)
  • Dubbo has a bigger rental market to choose from (35% vs 25%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Dubbo

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (34/100 vs 6/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (402.8 km vs 439.3 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (324 min vs 349 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Dubbo

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (17 vs 3)
  • is more walkable (34/100 vs 6/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Dubbo

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (11.7% vs -1.7%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Narromine and Dubbo drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Narromine Dubbo
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Narromine Dubbo
Walkability 6 / 34
Narromine — Walkability: 6/100 Dubbo — Walkability: 34/100
Safety 11 / 9
Narromine — Safety: 11/100 Dubbo — Safety: 9/100
Low fire risk 78 / 74
Narromine — Low fire risk: 78/100 Dubbo — Low fire risk: 74/100

Demographics

Dubbo has more residents (43,516 vs 4,608); Dubbo has higher household incomes ($87,880 vs $67,912).

Narromine Dubbo
Population 4,608 43,516
+844% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -1.7% +11.7%
Median age 39 35
Median household income $67,912/yr $87,880/yr
+29% vs other
Median weekly rent $250/wk $310/wk
+24% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Narromine Dubbo
0-4 6.5% / 7.4%
Narromine — 0-4: 6.5% Dubbo — 0-4: 7.4%
5-14 15.6% / 14.1%
Narromine — 5-14: 15.6% Dubbo — 5-14: 14.1%
15-19 5.8% / 5.8%
Narromine — 15-19: 5.8% Dubbo — 15-19: 5.8%
20-24 5.1% / 5.8%
Narromine — 20-24: 5.1% Dubbo — 20-24: 5.8%
25-34 10.9% / 15.7%
Narromine — 25-34: 10.9% Dubbo — 25-34: 15.7%
35-44 11.2% / 12.3%
Narromine — 35-44: 11.2% Dubbo — 35-44: 12.3%
45-54 10.6% / 11.2%
Narromine — 45-54: 10.6% Dubbo — 45-54: 11.2%
55-64 13.1% / 11.1%
Narromine — 55-64: 13.1% Dubbo — 55-64: 11.1%
65-74 11.2% / 8.8%
Narromine — 65-74: 11.2% Dubbo — 65-74: 8.8%
75-84 7.3% / 5.6%
Narromine — 75-84: 7.3% Dubbo — 75-84: 5.6%
85+ 2.6% / 2.2%
Narromine — 85+: 2.6% Dubbo — 85+: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Narromine 36.8% couple families
Narromine — Couple Families: 36.8% Narromine — Lone Person: 39.6% Narromine — One Parent Families: 18.8% Narromine — Group Household: 3.2% Narromine — Other Families: 1.6%
Dubbo 39.6% couple families
Dubbo — Couple Families: 39.6% Dubbo — Lone Person: 36.2% Dubbo — One Parent Families: 18.0% Dubbo — Group Household: 4.7% Dubbo — Other Families: 1.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Narromine 24.9% renting
Narromine — Owned Outright: 42.5% Narromine — Mortgage: 32.6% Narromine — Renting: 24.9%
Dubbo 35.1% renting
Dubbo — Owned Outright: 29.3% Dubbo — Mortgage: 35.7% Dubbo — Renting: 35.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Narromine Dubbo
Certificate III & IV 15.8% / 15.7%
Narromine — Certificate III & IV: 15.8% Dubbo — Certificate III & IV: 15.7%
Bachelor Degree 7.1% / 10.1%
Narromine — Bachelor Degree: 7.1% Dubbo — Bachelor Degree: 10.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 4.8% / 6.1%
Narromine — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.8% Dubbo — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.1%
Postgraduate Degree 0.8% / 3.2%
Narromine — Postgraduate Degree: 0.8% Dubbo — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.6% / 1.5%
Narromine — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.6% Dubbo — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.8%).

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Narromine Dubbo
India 0.3% / 1.7%
Narromine — India: 0.3% Dubbo — India: 1.7%
England 0.8% / 1.0%
Narromine — England: 0.8% Dubbo — England: 1.0%
Nepal — / 1.6%
Narromine — Nepal: not among its largest Dubbo — Nepal: 1.6%
Philippines 0.3% / 0.8%
Narromine — Philippines: 0.3% Dubbo — Philippines: 0.8%
New Zealand 0.3% / 0.7%
Narromine — New Zealand: 0.3% Dubbo — New Zealand: 0.7%
Germany 0.3% / —
Narromine — Germany: 0.3% Dubbo — Germany: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (1.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Narromine 93.1% houses
Narromine — Houses: 93.1% Narromine — Townhouses: 5.3% Narromine — Flats / Apartments: 1.7%
Dubbo 83.2% houses
Dubbo — Houses: 83.2% Dubbo — Townhouses: 9.0% Dubbo — Flats / Apartments: 7.8%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Narromine Dubbo
Median house price $440,000 $663,000
Median unit price — $405,000
Median land price $272,500 $558,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 34 days
from 29 sales
 24 days
from 419 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Narromine Dubbo
2 bed $375K / $500K
Narromine — 2 bed: $375K (5 sales) Dubbo — 2 bed: $500K (55 sales)

5 vs 55 sales

3 bed $436K / $596K
Narromine — 3 bed: $436K (44 sales) Dubbo — 3 bed: $596K (330 sales)

44 vs 330 sales

4 bed $530K / $747K
Narromine — 4 bed: $530K (8 sales) Dubbo — 4 bed: $747K (323 sales)

8 vs 323 sales

Zoning mix

Narromine has more rural and farming land (96% vs 76%).

Narromine Dubbo
Rural and farming 96% 76%
Residential 1% 15%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 3%
Environmental 2% 3%
Industrial 0% 2%
Parks and recreation 0% 1%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09.

Development activity

Narromine Dubbo
New dwellings approved 14
across Narromine
 405
across Dubbo
Approvals change year on year +50% -12%

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Narromine Dubbo
Houses 4.0%
$490/wk on $645K
 4.2%
$580/wk on $715K
Units — 4.9%
$365/wk on $384K

Ranking within NSW

Narromine Dubbo
House price Higher than 11% of NSW Higher than 22% of NSW
Income Higher than 31% of NSW Higher than 57% of NSW
Schools Higher than 59% of NSW Higher than 72% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 51% of NSW Higher than 76% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 89% of NSW Higher than 84% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 1% of NSW Higher than 30% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 70% of NSW Higher than 91% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 70% of NSW Higher than 83% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 64% of NSW

Liveability

Dubbo is more walkable (34 vs 6); Dubbo scores higher overall (40 vs 30).

Narromine Dubbo
Grade D C
Score 30/100 40/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Narromine Dubbo
Bushfire Low
22/100
 Low
26/100
Crime High
89/100
 High
91/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Narromine Dubbo
Inside the suburb 4 24
Rated above peers 1 8
Rated at peers 2 8
Rated below peers 1 2

Schools in Narromine

  • Narromine Christian School Independent · Primary above peers
  • Narromine Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Augustine's Parish School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Narromine High School Government · Secondary below peers

Schools in Dubbo

  • Buninyong Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Burrabadine Christian Community School Independent · Combined above peers
  • Central West Leadership Academy Independent · Combined above peers
  • Dubbo Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Dubbo School of Distance Education Government · Combined above peers
  • St John's Catholic Primary School Dubbo Catholic · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Narromine Dubbo
Supermarkets 1 6
Cafes & restaurants 4 21
Parks & reserves 8 88
Childcare 3 32
GPs 3 17
Pharmacies 1 11
Hospitals 1 4
Police stations 1
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 3 13
Fuel stations 3 12
EV chargers 0 2
Waterways 36 125

Mobility

Narromine sits further from the CBD (439.3 km vs 402.8 km).

Narromine Dubbo
Walkability score 6/100 34/100
Distance to Sydney 439.3 km
+8% vs other
 402.8 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 349 min 324 min
Public transport score 65/100
Bus
 75/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 56.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 693.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.1%
postcode 2821
 0.3%
postcode 2830
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 73
postcode 2821
 72
postcode 2830

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Narromine Dubbo
Car (driver) 77.1% / 80.5%
Narromine — Car (driver): 77.1% Dubbo — Car (driver): 80.5%
Worked from Home 12.1% / 8.9%
Narromine — Worked from Home: 12.1% Dubbo — Worked from Home: 8.9%
Car (passenger) 4.8% / 7.3%
Narromine — Car (passenger): 4.8% Dubbo — Car (passenger): 7.3%
Walked Only 5.4% / 2.4%
Narromine — Walked Only: 5.4% Dubbo — Walked Only: 2.4%
Bus 0.3% / 0.5%
Narromine — Bus: 0.3% Dubbo — Bus: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (80.5%).

Setting

Narromine Dubbo
Elevation 233 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 260 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Narromine Dubbo
Connectivity score 59/100 84/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 31%
2,361 premises
 71%
22,678 premises

Climate

Narromine Dubbo
Annual rainfall 492 mm 603 mm
Summer max (Jan) 33.9°C 32.9°C
Winter min (Jul) 4.4°C 3.5°C

Council rates

Narromine Dubbo
Average residential rate $860/yr $1,233/yr
Council Narromine Dubbo

Federal electorate

Narromine Dubbo
Division Parkes
same for both
Member Jamie Chaffey
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Narromine Dubbo
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Narromine

Affordable Family Rural

Dubbo

Affordable Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Narromine

Narromine vs Peak Hill Narromine vs Trangie Narromine vs Tullamore Narromine vs Tomingley Narromine vs Minore Narromine vs Burroway

Other comparisons with Dubbo

Dubbo vs Wongarbon Dubbo vs Geurie Dubbo vs Tomingley Dubbo vs Terramungamine Dubbo vs Brocklehurst Dubbo vs Ballimore
Full data on Narromine Full data on Dubbo
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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