OBJECTIVES This study aimed to compare the life expectancy, expected years of life lost (EYLL) and survival between patients under hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD). METHODS Adult patients who underwent maintenance dialysis at National Taiwan University Hospital from 1995 to 2006 were followed-up until the end of 2007 and linked with the National mortality database. Kaplan–Meier method was used to yield the estimated survival function of both groups. Constant excess hazard model was used to project the long-term survival of these patients by utilizing linear extrapolation. Life expectancy was estimated while EYLL was calculated by subtracting the life expectancy of patients from those of their age- and gender-matched referents. HD patients were then matched with PD patients on age, gender, and diabetic status. Life expectancy, EYLL and survival for the two groups were re-compared. Cox Model was applied to determine the risks for mortality. RESULTS A total of 305 HD and 428 PD patients were included. Before matching, HD patients were older than PD patients (62.4 ± 13.7 versus 53.1 ± 16.7 years, p<0.0001), and more HD patients had diabetes mellitus (DM) (HD versus PD, 29.2% versus 20.6%, p=0.0072). Life expectancy and EYLL of HD patients were 8.8 and 11.5 years, compared with those of PD patients (19.9 and 7.4 years). After matching, 236 pairs of HD and PD patients were selected. Life expectancy (p=0.790) and EYLL (p=0.793) of both groups were similar on re-analysis. Age (adjusted hazard ratio, AHR 1.07, 95% CI 1.05-1.09) and DM (AHR 3.81, 95% CI 2.28-6.36) were independent predictors of mortality. For diabetic patients, survival was better if the patients were treated with HD (AHR 0.24, 95% CI 0.11-0.53). CONCLUSIONS After matching, life expectancy and EYLL between HD and PD patients were similar, but survival was better for diabetic patients if they were treated with HD.