First of,

welcome SStMM.

.... in a big Canadian city, broke and living in an apartment. 

Personally cheap/broke and woodworking in the same sentence is an oxymoron... but don't let this moron dissuade you... it is highly rewarding and once you get yourself set up it tends to appear to be a tad cheaper.

.... in a big Canadian city, broke and living in an apartment. 

When I started out, I liven in a 1st. floor flat (probably called an appartment in Canuck) and my first project was a chest... which goes to prove it's possible.

RC (RobsCastle) is renowned for a pissant sized workshop and does most of his great work in his back yard, on the driveway and lawn... though it's a long drive from Canada to Queensland and you may need to find your own driveway/lawn.

Yrti, shows a lot of tiles in many of his projects, so I'm assuming he also does a lot in confined spaces... though he specialises in hand tools which by their nature do not have big foot prints..

First thing is to establish your niche (if you can), and there is invaluable advice available only for the asking. 
Suggest you don't ask what brand or you'll be inundated with 1,000 replies and none the wiser in the end... better to ask what type do people recommend... will get nearly as many different replies, but with nearly, you'll have a few less choices to simplify the matter... a tad.

If your first cut is too short... Take the second cut from the longer end... LBD