OBJECTIVES: To determine the feasibility of using the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) to obtain accounts of the momentary experience of Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) and compare these to retrospective global measures of HRQOL and utilities derived from choice under uncertainty. METHODS: An experience-sampling study of 139 participants from three different patient groups and a control sample examined the momentary experience of HRQOL (mom-HRQOL). Global retrospective HRQOL measures were also administered. Feasibility of was determined by assessing willingness to participate in the study and by analysing the percentage of drop-outs and the number of completed beep questionnaires. Bivariate correlations between mom-HRQOL and momentary positive affect (PA), negative affect (NA) and physical symptoms (PS) for each participant were determined. Furthermore, correlations between mom-HRQOL, PA, NA and PS on the one hand and retrospective global health (EQ-VAS), the EQ-5D utility, the SF-6D utility and the TTO on the other hand were determined. RESULTS: The overall participation rate was low but there were no drop-outs and the number of completed beeps was comparable to other studies. For most participants, the correlation between mom-HRQOL and momentary PA, NA and PS was in the expected direction. Correlations between ESM data on HRQOL, PA, NA and PS and retrospective measures were moderate to high, with the exception of the TTO. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this study extends our knowledge of the similarities and differences between ESM data on HRQOL, feelings and symptoms and retrospective measures of HRQOL, which may aid future health care research and decision making.