Suburb guide · Dubbo Regional council area
Mortgage broker for Dubbo (2830) home buyers
Dubbo had 43,516 residents at the 2021 Census and 10.4% were born overseas, most often in India (750), with Nepal second (703). Most homes are separate houses (83.2%), and the median house in postcode 2830 sold for $675,000 in January to March 2026. There is no Dubbo shopfront to visit. Sulav meets clients from Dubbo by phone or video and manages the loan through to settlement.
On this page
Dubbo at a glance
- Residents
- 43,51615,498 occupied homesABS Census 2021
- Born overseas
- 10.4%Top birthplaces: India, Nepal, EnglandABS Census 2021
- Born in Nepal
- 7031.6% of residentsABS Census 2021
- Speak Nepali at home
- 7561.7% of residentsABS Census 2021
- Arrived 2016 to 2021
- 3.3%1,427 people born overseasABS Census 2021
- Median age
- 352.5 people per householdABS Census 2021
- Median household income
- $1,690/wk$87,880 a yearABS Census 2021
- Households renting
- 33.7%34.3% mortgage, 28.1% owned outrightABS Census 2021
- Flats and apartments
- 7.1%83.2% separate houses, 9% semis and townhousesABS Census 2021
- Median rent, new leases
- $550/wkAll dwellings, postcode 2830NSW DCJ, April to June 2026
The suburb covers 990.7 km² and is wholly in the Dubbo Regional council area. Of the 26 NSW suburbs in our guides, Dubbo has the 17th-highest Nepal-born population (703) and the 19th-highest median household income ($1,690 a week). The median resident is 35 and the average household has 2.5 people. Hardly anyone commuted by train on Census day 2021 (0.1% of workers), and 7.8% worked from home.
What it costs to buy in Dubbo
In January to March 2026, the median non-strata sale in postcode 2830 was $675,000 from 222 sales. There was no unit median for Dubbo or its council area this quarter, so this page shows house figures only. Against the median household income recorded here in 2021 ($87,880 a year), that is 7.7 times for a house.
| Item | Median house |
|---|---|
| Median sale price | $675,000 |
| 5% deposit | $33,750 |
| 10% deposit | $67,500 |
| 20% deposit (no LMI) | $135,000 |
| Transfer duty, standard | $24,562 |
| Transfer duty, first home buyer | $0 |
| Registration fees | $365 |
| 5% Deposit Scheme cap ($800,000) | Under |
| Cash needed, first home buyer, 10% deposit | $67,865 |
- Owner-occupier, established home, every scheme condition met. Cash needed excludes conveyancing and LMI. 2026-27 rules, checked 26 October 2026.
An eligible first home buyer pays no transfer duty on the median house, because $675,000 is below the scheme's $800,000 full-exemption limit; anyone else pays $24,562.
Dubbo is outside Sydney and isn't one of the regional centres that share Sydney's cap, so the $800,000 cap for other areas of NSW applies; confirm it for the postcode with the official tool. The median house ($675,000) is $125,000 under the 5% Deposit Scheme cap for the rest of NSW ($800,000), so an eligible first home buyer could buy it with $33,750 down and no LMI.
Try a price other than $675,000 in the NSW stamp duty calculator
Renting vs buying in Dubbo
New leases in postcode 2830 had a median rent of $550 a week in April to June 2026, or $28,600 a year, across 449 new bonds. By size, a two-bedroom unit leased for $400 a week and a three-bedroom house for $550.
Back in 2021, Dubbo households with a mortgage repaid a median $1,582 a month, 18% more than the median rent ($310 a week). Today's new-lease median is 77% above that 2021 rent. DCJ counts only new bonds and the Census counts every renting household, so read the gap as a direction, not an exact rise. In 2021, the median rent took 18% of the median household income.
A 5% deposit on the median house ($33,750) equals about 61 weeks of the current median rent, between one and two years of rent. Most households here own their home: 33.7% rent, 34.3% have a mortgage and 28.1% own outright.
| Dwelling | Weekly | Yearly | New bonds |
|---|---|---|---|
| All dwellings | $550 | $28,600 | 449 |
| 1-bedroom unit (small sample) | $390 | $20,280 | 11 to 30 |
| 2-bedroom unit | $400 | $20,800 | 56 |
| House (all sizes) | $600 | $31,200 | 323 |
| 3-bedroom house | $550 | $28,600 | 158 |
| 4+ bedroom house | $675 | $35,100 | 128 |
| Townhouse (all sizes) (small sample) | $520 | $27,040 | 11 to 30 |
- No interest rate is assumed: compare with your own rate in the repayments calculator.
Dubbo buyers we work with
Buying soon after you arrive
Only 3.3% of residents arrived between 2016 and 2021, but Dubbo is in a designated regional area, so it is one of the places a subclass 491 or 494 holder can live. Permanent residents can usually get the same first home concessions as citizens. Temporary residents need FIRB approval, generally can't buy an established home before 30 June 2029, and pay 9% surcharge purchaser duty. The surcharge alone is $60,750 on the median house. Postcode 2830 is a Category 3 designated regional area, so 491 and 494 holders can live and work here.
Visa guides: subclass 189, 190, 491, 482.
Refinancing an existing loan
34.3% of Dubbo homes are owned with a mortgage, with a median repayment of $18,984 a year in 2021. Loans taken out before a move to permanent residency are often worth a second look. Refinancing
House and land buyers
83.2% of homes are separate houses. The $10,000 First Home Owner (New Homes) Grant is for new homes up to $600,000 (land and build up to $750,000), against a $675,000 median house here. Building means a construction loan paid in stages. Construction loans
Dubbo buyers often ask
How much stamp duty would a first home buyer pay on a median Dubbo house?
None, if you qualify for the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme: the $675,000 median house is under the exemption limit. Other buyers pay $24,562. Checked against Revenue NSW on 26 October 2026.
What deposit do I need to buy in Dubbo?
For the median house ($675,000): $33,750 at 5%, $67,500 at 10% or $135,000 at 20%. Below 20%, expect LMI unless you use the 5% Deposit Scheme or a guarantor.
Can I use the 5% Deposit Scheme in Dubbo?
The median house ($675,000) is $125,000 under the $800,000 cap. You must be a citizen or permanent resident and a first home buyer.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Dubbo?
We can't say without your rate. For scale: a year of median rent on a new lease is $28,600, and 2021 mortgage repayments ran at a median $18,984 a year.
Does Dubbo count as regional for a 491 visa?
Yes. Postcode 2830 is a Category 3 designated regional area, so 491 and 494 holders can live and work here. As temporary residents they still need FIRB approval and pay 9% surcharge purchaser duty.
Talk it through with Sulav
Sulav checks your deposit, income and visa against lender policy for a house around $675,000, in a 60-minute call by phone or video.
Sources
Data last updated . Census figures are for 2021; DCJ figures are quarterly medians.
- ABS QuickStats 2021: Dubbo (SAL11299)
- ABS Census 2021 tables for SAL11299
- ASGS Edition 3 boundaries
- Rent and Sales Report, sales January to March 2026
- Rent and Sales Report, rents April to June 2026
- Transfer duty rates
- First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme (new or existing home)
- 5% Deposit Scheme price caps
- Regional postcodes (condition 8579)
- Established dwelling ban