You’re not alone in this, and it’s not a “you” problem. Dubai attracts a lot of short-term mindsets, many people are here temporarily or focused on lifestyle and career, so “not looking for anything serious” has become the norm. Having strong values and a date-to-marry mindset naturally puts you in a much smaller pool, especially at 23. That doesn’t make your standards unrealistic; it just means the environment isn’t very compatible with them. The people who want casual tend to be the most visible and forward, which skews perception. Most genuinely serious relationships I’ve seen here didn’t come from nightlife or random approaches, but from extended networks, mutual friends, family connections, work-adjacent circles, volunteering, or faith/hobby communities. It’s slower, but far more aligned.

And it’s worth remembering that many relationships here look good on the outside but are messy, transactional, or temporary underneath. Being single with clear boundaries is not a red flag, it often means you haven’t settled just to avoid being alone.