OBJECTIVES: A cost of illness study (COI) evaluates the direct, indirect and intangible costs of a given disease in monetary terms. Depending on perspective, it consists of different elements, and it values identical cost contents in different ways. The social perspective takes account of all cost factors from the point of view. The trends of previous years in Hungary increase the value of COI studies of societal perspective in the healthcare-related decision-making process. Several methods are available for the evaluation of the chronic diseases’ total costs in socially-oriented COI studies. In this analysis, our aim is – through the example of the chronic disease rheumatoid arthritis – to present and compare the results of different COI studies from different data resources, furthermore, to identify the applicability and limits of these studies through the example of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: The value and ratio of indirect cost of RA in Hungary was estimated in three different approaches: 1. International and national published data from comprehensive review was analyzed in same structure. 2. From ‘Top down’ estimation’s approach the indirect costs of RA was defined from public macro data. 3. From ‘Botton up’ estimation’s approach the indirect costs of RA was defined from survey with questionnaire among RA patients RESULTS: The comparison of the listed resources alongside identical dimensions indicates that the tendencies are similar although there are significant differences in the order of magnitude. CONCLUSIONS: Decisions about healthcare resource allocations affect social welfare. In reimbursement decisions the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) uses the payor’s perspective, but in the ranking and evaluation of health technologies and therapies the societal perspective represents the basis for optimization. COI studies can help in the identification of decision-making focal points, although this necessitates the assessment and standardization of the applicable methodologies.