Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the quality of life of the elderly with diabetes and its association with emotional intelligence. Method: This was a cross-sectional descriptive- correlational study, conducted on 85 older adults with diabetes who were referred to Diabetes Clinic of Shariati Hospital in Tehran. To assess quality of life Leipad Quality of Life in the elderly Questionnaire and for emotional intelligence Shrink Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire were used. Data were analyzed through SPSS v.16. Results: The findings showed that the mean total scores of quality of life and emotional intelligence in elderly with diabetes is moderate to high. The quality of life and emotional intelligence in elderly men were higher compared to elderly women. The quality of life had a significant relationship with level of education, marital status and housing (p<0.05), but there were no significant relationships between quality of life, age and economic status (p>0.05). There were significant relationships between emotional intelligence and educational level, marital status and housing (p<0.05) but no significant relationship between emotional intelligence with age and economic status (p>0.05). Overall, the results showed positive association between emotional intelligence and quality of life in elderly individuals with diabetes (r=0.536 and p<0/01). Conclusion: Considering the positive association between emotional intelligence and quality of life of elderly with diabetes, planning with a focus on emotional intelligence and its dimensions in elderly with diabetes may lead to improvement in their quality of life.