resting is a last resort, if you have no money or want to save money then the penalty is you have to keep clicking rest and avoid police. later in the game when your hp gets very high and you get more money flow you wont need rest anymore, its kind of a buffer to fall back on.
you have to use strategy and build your fight ability and equipment by fighting weak npcs like civilians and rats before taking on stronger enemies, and also find items like briefcases and bandaids. its challenging but the original was much harder.