Enhancement of environmental quality, cultural capital, social capital, and the economy is essential for achieving sustainable development in rural areas. The notion of quality of life capital, used across various disciplines, has been proposed as an approach to evaluating rural development. From the perspective of the quality of life capital, this study identifies five items of capital and an evaluation system for analyzing the quality of life in rural districts. It argues that environmental capital and social capital should be the first priority in the development of rural areas. A comparative case study analysis illustrates the operational feasibility of the evaluation system and suggests that learning, community activities, and interaction and exchange are important elements for accumulating the quality of life capital development. Results of this study serve as a useful reference for research on rural development.