OBJECTIVES: To determine the cost-utility of continuing education for the management of patients with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), in Pernambuco - Brazil.  METHODS: It’s a cost-utility evaluation, using the Markov model to simulate the results in health scenarios, from the perspective of the health system. It was considered an analytic horizon of 20 years and selected the category of direct medical costs. Data were obtained from primary source, SERVIDIAH study, and secondary sources from health information systems and literature. The reference scenario represents the standard health care management performed in public health services. The simulated scenarios for post-intervention’s results were based on the suggestion of consulted experts in regard the effectiveness of continuing education for health professionals in primary health care (PHC) for the patient's complications reduction.  RESULTS: The average individual, representative Pernambuco’s population, was female, 61 years old and diagnosed with T2DM for 8.7 years. These and other clinical characteristics that influence the calculation of the transition probabilities were gathered from over 800 patients with T2DM from Pernambuco. For the reference scenario, the cost for one individual was calculated for the intervention's  first year, 2011: without complications (U$ 491.04), with microvascular complications (U$ 774.23), macrovascular complications (U$ 1,945.95) and both complications (U$ 2,229.14). The incremental cost for the implementation of the intervention was U$ 242.42 per individual/year, later added to the cost for standard management in the post-intervention scenarios. At the cost-utility evaluation, only the first simulated scenario (Very Satisfactory Result) was cost-effective, with Incremental Cost-effectiveness Ratio (ICER) of U$ 7,362.70/QALY.  CONCLUSIONS: The ICER presented suggests that the intervention isn’t a cost-effective alternative. Given the uncertainties about the effectiveness of continuing education for professionals in the PHC on the health of users, it is necessary to conduct in-depth studies on the association between these variables.