A new AP-NORC poll in the United States has become the latest warning sign for governments touting low inflation figures while citizens complain of high cost of living.

The poll, released Thursday October 1, 2026, shows 82% of Americans disapprove of President Donald Trump's handling of cost of living, with only 17% approving, even though US inflation is reported at 3.4%.

In Ghana, a similar situation is unfolding under the Mahama administration with Ghanaians complaining about the disconnect between reported low inflation and the cost of living.

While inflation on paper is reported at around 5%, Ghanaians say utility tariffs, fuel prices, transportation, rent and prices of goods and services keep rising sharply.

The frustration in Ghana is visible across Ghanaian social media, and on the ground, with widespread reactions about rising electricity costs, in particular, and general high costs.

Author Chris-Vincent Agyapong in a July Facebook post complained about the high cost of living and doing business in Ghana, comparing printing costs of his book - 7 GHS in China versus 23 GHS in Ghana.

In another instance, supermarket shopper Mohammed Hassan Albezem posted a video from a supermarket in Ghana lamenting how the total cost at the till is "getting closer to your salary."

Last week, content creator Ama Morton posted a video on September 28 titled "rent in Accra is not a joke," detailing exorbitant rent demands in the capital and sparking debate on the housing crisis.

On food prices, blogger Ray Michael, in a viral post titled "Ghana is hell", listed fufu selling at over GH¢300 in East Legon and daily meals costing 150-250 cedis.

Commenters under the posts summed up the mood, corroborating the posts with their own experiences of high cost of living, with emphasis on high cost of electricity, transportation and food.

Market women count losses

In the markets, the pain is even more direct, as traders say produce is rotting because buyers have no money.

"We bring tomatoes and pepper and they rot. People come and say they used all their money to pay light bill and water," a trader at Makola said.

"We buy at a high price but when we add small profit, nobody buys. The goods stay and spoil," a vegetable seller at Kaneshie Market also lamented.

"Our plantain rots on the farm and in the market. Transportation is high, rent is high, people are not buying like before," a trader who brings goods from the Eastern Region said.

Both in the US and in Ghana, under the administrations of Presidents Trump and Mahama, the story is the same - despite low inflation on paper, citizens say the cost of living keeps rising, and market women say their products are rotting on farms and in markets as people are not buying.

Ironically, both Presidents staged comebacks after they were voted out of office after their respective first terms.