OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research was to verify the association between the self-perceived hearing of functionally active non-institutionalized elderly, and the actual condition of hearing and quality of life. CASE DESCRIPTION: This is an analytical cross-sectional observational study in a convenience sample. We administered the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-old) and WHOQOL-Bref questionnaires and performed pure tonal audiometry as well as conducted an interview with questions regarding participants' hearing and clinical history. The study's final sample included 50 elderly (72% female) subjects. All of them took part in social gatherings. Their ages ranged from 61 to 84 years. Of the 34 subjects who had hearing loss on audiometry, 18 (52.9%) reported having good hearing and 10 (29.4%) complained of hearing loss. There was no significant association between the presence of hearing loss on audiometry, self-perception of hearing, and complaint about hearing loss (P> 0.05). The average scores on the WHOQOL-Bref and WHOQOL-old were significantly higher in participants who did not have hearing loss (P = 0.040). Other associations were not significant. CONCLUSION: There was a significant association between hearing loss and the perception of hearing. The elderly respondents had high scores on the test used to assess quality of life, emphasizing the importance of participation in social gatherings, and demonstrating the high level of quality of life in this population.