OBJECTIVES: To assess health status, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), treatment satisfaction (TS) and patient characteristics associated with these outcomes among Thai patients with diabetes. METHODS: Randomly selected patients with Type 2 diabetes aged ≥18 years were recruited from Samut Sakhon Hospital in Thailand from December 2008 to February 2009 in this cross-sectional study. The Thai versions of the EuroQol 5-Dimensions (EQ-5D) and the Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life (ADDQoL-19) Questionnaire were used to assess health status and HRQoL, respectively, while the Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire status version (DTSQs) was used to assess satisfaction with diabetes treatment. RESULTS: A total of 201 patients were recruited with the majority being female, aged ≥45 years, of primary education and required only oral antidiabetes therapy. Their mean±SD duration of known diabetes was 6.80±6.67 years. A substantial negative impact of diabetes on the participants’ HRQoL was observed as assessed by the ADDQoL (mean±SD average weighted impact (AWI) score: -3.76±2.03 from the possible range -9 to +3), although the level of their TS was rather high as assessed by the DTSQs (mean±SD TS scale total:  28.60±5.53 out of 36). The participants’ EQ-5D scores (mean±SD EQ-utility score: 0.74±0.20; EQ-VAS score: 65.22±17.54) were only slightly lower than the norm values for the general population (0.80±0.26 and 79.74±18.23 for the two scores, respectively). Higher income was significantly associated with better health status while lower education and unemployment status were significantly associated with poorer HRQoL. Female gender and older age were associated with higher TS. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes had major impact on the participants’ HRQoL but little impact on health status despite a high level of TS. Patient characteristics associated with these outcomes were also different.