Background: Our aim was to clarify whether the duration between perioperative chemotherapy and disease recurrence could affect therapeutic efficacy of salvage chemotherapy in bladder cancer patients treated with radical cystectomy. Methods: We retrospectively identified 201 patients treated with radical cystectomy and perioperative chemotherapy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and/or adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) for bladder cancer at our 7 institutions between 2003 and 2015. Of them 56 patients received salvage chemotherapy for disease recurrence and were included in the present analysis. We classified these patients according to the time from perioperative chemotherapy received to disease recurrence ( < 12 months, 12-24 months, and 24 < months) and compared their clinical characteristics and survival outcomes. Results: Overall, 33, 14, and 9 patients developed disease recurrence in < 12 months, 12-24 months, and < 24 months, respectively after perioperative chemotherapy. Patients in the 12-24 months group had a higher smoking rate compared to those in the other two groups, and were higher rate of female in comparison to the < 24 months group. Twenty-four (42.8%) patients received NAC alone, 23 (41.1%) received AC alone, and 9 (16.1%) received both NAC and AC. Twenty-two (66.7%), 9 (64%), and 4 (44.4%) patients received NAC in the < 12 months group, the 12-24 months group, and the < 24 months group, respectively. Furthermore, 19 (57.6%), 7 (50%), and 6 (66.7%) patients received AC in the < 12 months group, the 12-24 months group, and the < 24 months group, respectively. The 5 year overall survival in the < 12 months group was 26.6%, which was significantly lower than those in the 12-24 months group (51.1%, p < 0.001) and in the 24 months group (46.9%, p = 0.014). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that disease recurrence after perioperative chemotherapy within 12 months was the only independent prognostic indicator for overall death (p = 0.032). Conclusions: Bladder cancer patients with disease recurrence within 12 months from their perioperative chemotherapy have a worse overall survival after salvage chemotherapy.