If you lived where I live, you'd get no dates. The women decide the parameters of the dates they will accept, not the men.
They have no trouble repeatedly finding men who will take them on expensive first dates, because there are many men who are willing to pay $200 for the privilege of talking with a woman for an hour or two. So that is the standard they expect. Any man who doesn't offer that is devaluing them as people, in their eyes.
It's basic economics. Dating is a highly economic activity. money plays a huge role in mating. her time is worth money, if she is givng you her time, you better be offering her money or something money can buy.
it's unrealistic to you, yes. But it's not to them. many women where i live, would rather be alone, than date or marry a man who isn't boosting their lifestyle, as in, if she makes 150K/yr she ONLY wants men who make 300K/yr because a man who makes 200K or less can't 'add value' to her life, as in raise her social and economic standing.
and dating has ALWAYS been about this. traditional gender roles still dominate heterosexual dating, as much as people like to claim and believe they do not. people love to talk about love, but the funny thing is love tends to go away when the money does...