on the broader topic of where we could live after we retire and aren't bound to the town where we worked:

Youtube is full of vlogs by expats who have moved overseas to places where their meager retirement funds have more buying power. VietNam, Thailand, the Philippines are just a few of the places where retired westerners are moving. For anybody who might be inclined to dream about "what if..." it's a deep rabbit hole once you start looking into it.