China is one of the countries with the largest elderly population and the fastest pace of aging in the world. By the end of 2023, individuals aged 60 and above and those aged 65 and above accounted for 21.1% and 15.4% of the total population, respectively, indicating that China has entered a stage of moderate aging. This rapid demographic transition has brought significant changes to family structures and social patterns. According to data from the Seventh National Population Census, the average household size in China has continued to decline from 3.10 to 2.62 persons. More and more families are shifting from multigenerational households to nuclear family structures, leading to a rapid rise in the proportion of empty-nest elderly, including those living alone. The issue of aging in place for older adults living alone has become a focal point of public concern and a frontier topic in urban studies and related interdisciplinary research.The Opinions on Strengthening Aging Work in the New Era emphasize that enhancing the sense of gain, happiness, and security among the elderly is of great significance in building an age-friendly society. This indicates that, as the proportion of older adults in the total population continues to rise, the current challenges of aging are no longer limited to simply ensuring care and support for the elderly, but should also focus more on their quality of life and overall life satisfaction. Existing studies point out that life satisfaction is a primary criterion or ultimate outcome for evaluating human experiences. The Dictionary of Developmental Psychology defines life satisfaction as the degree to which individuals are content with their way of life. Most research on life satisfaction has been conducted in Western countries, with relatively few studies based on elderly populations in Asia. Regarding intergenerational living arrangements, such arrangements encompass both living modes (such as co-residence with children or living alone) and residential distance. However, most existing studies analyze intergenerational living primarily from the perspective of living modes, while only a small number of international studies explore the relationship between residential distance and life satisfaction among older adults. Some foreign research suggests that older adults often try to avoid “intruding” on their children’s lives, but as they age, their dependency on family increases. Therefore, living independently but close to their children may enhance their life satisfaction. Due to cultural differences between the East and the West, older adults in Western countries tend to place greater value on personal independence, while elderly individuals in China are more influenced by traditional cultural norms. In Chinese tradition, coresidence with adult children is often regarded as the most favorable living arrangement for older adults. However, with rapid demographic changes, the proportion of older adults living alone in China continues to rise. Some studies predict that Chinese seniors will increasingly prefer “independent living in close proximity to their children.” This growing desire for independent living among Chinese elderly raises questions about the long-held belief that living with children is the most beneficial arrangement for them. Currently, research on intergenerational residential proximity among older adults living alone in China remains limited, and empirical studies are insufficient. Furtherinvestigation is needed to better understand the relationship between intergenerational residential distance and life satisfaction among the elderly in China, providing evidence-based support for health-oriented urban and rural spatial planning.To explore the differential impact of intergenerational residential distance on the life satisfaction of older adults, this study utilizes data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) and constructs a logistic regression model to examine the relationship between intergenerational residential distance and life satisfaction among urban and rural elderly populations, considering both temporal and urban-rural differences. The findings reveal that self-rated health among older adults (45.3%, 46.8%) is significantly lower than health assessments provided by observers (87.1%, 88.3%). In terms of temporal changes, the effect of intergenerational residential distance on life satisfaction among rural older adults shifted from being statistically insignificant in 2014 to significantly correlated in 2018. Regarding urban-rural differences, the ideal residential distance primarily affects independently living older adults, with a more pronounced negative impact observed among those in rural areas. Furthermore, this negative impact tends to intensify over time.