OBJECTIVE: To analyze the quality of life and depressive symptoms in elderly patients with dizziness complaint. Method: cross sectional study, individual, observational and contemporary, in which the factor under study were elderly with dizziness, and clinical outcome, the analysis of quality of life and the occurrence of depressive symptoms. We analyzed the responses of History, SF-36 and Geriatric Depression Scale (EDG) of 153 elderly patients with dizziness, from health centers in Porto Alegre. RESULTS: 64.1% of seniors scored above the cutoff on the Geriatric Depression Scale, and the percentages were similar between men and women (p = 0.723). There was an inverse association between scores on the EDG and all domains of the SF-36, i.e., the higher the score on the EDG, the lower the quality of life in all areas. The frequency of dizziness was inversely associated with the SF-36, except for pain, i.e., the most frequent dizziness, lower quality of life. There was a direct association between scores on the EDG with age and frequency of dizziness, that is, the greater the age and frequency of dizziness greater the degree of depression (p <0.001). CONCLUSION: Elderly patients with dizziness have significant losses in quality of life. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was significant in our sample. There was an association between depressive symptoms and impaired quality of life.