What would one do if all you had at retirement age is $1 million? Would you have to keep working? Or could you invest it and somehow stretch it?
I would say it depends on your lifestyle (i.e., your budget) and your other sources of income, primarily Social Security or any other pension.
Find another state that is agreeable to you that has a low cost of living. North Carolina isn’t especially cheap, it’s probably more like mid-pack as far as cost of living, but with a paid off residence it’s very doable to cover all your monthly expenses with social security. My mom’s doing it, the required annual IRA distribution is gravy, if she uses it at all rather than socking it away in a CD (virtually useless as far as return but it’s still there if needed), she uses it for vacations, home improvements, a nice big Christmas, things that make her happy and I’m fine with that.
Put $700,000 down on a well-located, well managed $2,000,000 apartment building with a good rental history and no rent control. A realistic rate of return of say, 8% cash on cash would provide about $56,000 a year income, added to your combined social security. What remains of the other $300,000 after closing costs and putting aside some "fun" money can be producing income in safe investments. You won't be rich, but well-off is quite nice. And you'll always have a place to live!