Be mindful of the fact that not all 'free apartments' are equal. That is to say, you may end up paying to move. So you may want to take a tourist trip down to check the place out.
Also be mindful that the biggest cost of living in an apartment (for me so far) has been the electricity, so make sure that's included along with water etc in your flat.
Just by way of comparison, some of my costs in canada, and their equivalent in Santo Domingo:
* Blackberry
- Canada - $95/month
- S.Domingo - $RD1800/month (data) + $RD1200/month (voice)
* Dinner + drinks out
- Canada @ Earl's - $80/night
- S.Domingo @ midprice restaraunt - $RD 800 (can be much cheaper)
* Electricity Bill
- Canada - middle of winter - $120/month
- S.Domingo - first month in apartment with AC blasted - RD 12,000 (yah I was stupid with AC, learned my lesson)
* Land Line+internet
- Canada - about $50 TELUS
- S.Domingo - about $RD 2000/month
Good luck