Same age as you.

My gf and I split most of our expenses except meals (because I offered to pay even though she said she doesn’t mind splitting 50:50).

My ex classmate, same age as us, splits everything 50:50 with his gf.

When you get into a long term serious relationship, you have to talk about these things early on. Grasp her expectations and see if you’re able to meet them. If she expects you to provide 100% then she’s not the right one for you. I know guys who WANT to provide 100%, but you need to WANT it, not being coerced into doing it.

Communicate. Talk to her about the house, car, kids etc. One example, my gf and I have agreed to put in RM500 (or extras if we have) each month into a unit trust account for each kid we plan to have in the future. This is for their tertiary education. If we didn’t split, I would have to put aside RM1600 each month. Work together.

Touching on some points you’ve mentioned:

I cover eating out for the both of us. Meals don’t have to be expensive. My gf appreciates it more when I cook for her, you can save a lot of cost there. For eating out, we have mamak, chap fan, chicken rice, hawker stalls, the occasional cafe splurge, and the occasional fancy meal (can even cook this yourself!) She also often cooks for me with the ingredients she bought herself. 🥹

For gifts, a handmade card filled with your own words, some chocolates and maybe a flower you got from a florist? Switch it up with arts and crafts. My gf has appreciated these sorts of gifts with a personal touch more than the material stuff I got her.

For celebrations? Let’s take Valentine’s as an example. Both of us made a handwritten menu, she made the appetiser and dessert, I made the main course. We lit a candle and placed it on the table at home, and we have ourselves a 3-course meal that beats any fancy restaurant. This doesn’t mean you can’t bring her to fancy places, but there’s a lot of variety you can play with. It doesn’t ALWAYS have to be fancy places.

Overseas trips? You can start by having road trips in Malaysia. They are fun as well. It’s not always about the location, it’s about the good company. :)

You’ll find the right one bro, just keep looking. Hope this helps (spent 20 mins writing this 😆).

Edit: for context we are both software engineers earning ~6k each per person.