Hopefully that was not a very costly lesson
@Lovinglife . I agree with KeepComing and josh2203 - DR is cheap enough to explore and many people rent places for a few months on the North Coast and live and then go back. I feel Cabarete is more costlier than Puerto Plata but might be a more gentler introduction to the DR expat life as it has a lot more of expats.
Santiago (STI) has a lot more flights each day compared to POP and is usually cheaper even if you factor in the taxi costs to/from places in the North Coast.
If you have a steady pension, this is easily doable and you can always go back if you don't like it. But beware of the sankies. Do not invest,
do not hire a car/scooter and drive, do not loan money and do not buy a property until you are sure you know the place - people are very friendly and helpful but can take advantage if you are not careful. There's plenty of good advice in the forums on most things you will encounter. Make new friends, go on day trips, enjoy the great weather and beautiful places. DR is more than the AIs in Punta Cana, go explore !