Objective To understand the status of social capital and quality of life in elderly patients living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in Nanchang, and to explore the correlation of social capital and its dimensions with quality of life.Methods A total of 65 elderly HIV/AIDS patients were investigated from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) database of the Donghu District and Qingyunpu District of Nanchang from Jan. to Jun. 2015. The questionnaires included basic situation survey, personal social capital scale and simplified Chinese version of medical outcomes study HIV health survey (MOS-HIV). The descriptive statistical method was used to evaluate the status of social capital and quality of life of elderly HIV/AIDS patients. The multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between social capital and quality of life.Results A total of 63 questionnaires were collected. The scores of bonding social capital, bridging social capital and total social capital of elderly HIV/AIDS patients were 10.83±1.99, 7.60±2.94 and 18.43±3.47, respectively. The physical health summary score and mental health summary score were 44.25±5.10 and 42.93±5.08, respectively. Bonding social capital, CD4⁺ T cell count, age, education level and marital status were the influencing factors of quality of life (P<0.05).Conclusion The elderly HIV/AIDS patients in Nanchang have low social capital and poor quality of life. More care and help from family members, friends, neighborhoods and others are keys to improve quality of life of elderly HIV/AIDS patients, but the relationship between bridging social capital and quality of life needs to be further explored.