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Background: Research to date suggests that frailty is higher in women and is associated with functional difficulty. This study builds on the evidence by examining the association between frailty and functional difficulty between low- and higher-income groups and between older men and women in these income groups., Methods: This study adopted a cross-sectional design that complied with the STROBE checklist and included steps against confounding and common methods bias. The population was community-dwelling older adults aged 50 years or older in two urban neighbourhoods in Accra, Ghana. Participants were either in the low-income group in a low socioeconomic neighbourhood (n = 704) or the higher-income group in a high socioeconomic neighbourhood (n = 510). The minimum sample necessary was calculated, and the hierarchical linear regression analysis was utilised to analyse the data., Results: Frailty was positively associated with functional difficulty in the low- and higher-income samples, but this association was stronger in the higher-income sample. Frailty was positively associated with frailty in men and women within the low- and higher-income samples., Conclusion: The association of frailty with functional difficulty was consistent between low- and higher-income samples, although the strength of the relationship differed between these samples. In both income samples, the foregoing relationship was consistent between men and women, although the strength of the relationship differed between men and women., Competing Interests: Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate This study received an institutional ethics review and approval from Africa Centre for Epidemiology (004–10-2022-ACE) after its study protocol was reviewed. All the participants provided written informed consent before participating, and all research protocols were approved by the foregoing ethics review committee. All methods and procedures were carried out in accordance with ethical regulations and guidelines. Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)