[Objective] The changes of productive-living-ecological land use and cost-benefit of ecosystem service in Yuanzhou District of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region after returning farmland to forestland were analyzed, in order to provide a scientific support for the development of land space and the optimization of main functions in this area.[Methods] Based on the principle of dominant function, the land use classification system of productive-living-ecology was established. Based on the identification of productive-living-ecological land types and the analysis of land use structure and spatial pattern in Yuanzhou District from 2000 to 2018, the impact of the change of productive-living-ecological land on the value of ecosystem services (ESV) was quantitatively assessed by using the equivalent factor method.[Results] ① From 2000 to 2018, the production land decreased by 7 062.96 hm², and the proportion decreased from 42.88% to 41.88%, but the area of irrigated land and garden land increased significantly. Ecological land decreased by 3 259.06 hm², and the proportion decreased from 54.66% to 52.52%, but the internal structure optimization features were significant where the proportion of forest land was improved. Living land expanded by 10 272.63 hm² and increased rapidly from 2.46% to 6.19%, which was mainly characterized due to the increase of urban area. ② In the productive-living-ecological land category, the dynamic change of the living land area was the highest, which was -3.31%. In the secondary land category, the irrigable land, garden land, urban land, woodland and grassland were the highest in the productive-living-ecological land category, respectively. In addition, the dynamic change of land use in the early stage of the study was significantly greater than that in the later stage. ③ Spatially, the increase of irrigated land and garden land in Qingshui valley was the main trend. The urban area, Sanying Town, Touying Town and other urban construction land expanded rapidly. The forest land in Liupan Mountains area and loess hilly and gully area increased greatly. ④ During the study period, the ESV of Yuanzhou District increased by 10.06 hundred million yuan, and the supply, regulation, support and cultural functions were greatly improved. The main transfer directions resulting in the decrease of ESV were dryland to residential land, dryland to industrial and mining water conservancy land, grassland to dryland, grassland to industrial and mining water conservancy land, grassland to residential land, woodland to dryland, woodland to grassland, and other transfer modes were beneficial to the growth of ESV.[Conclusion] During the research period, the evolution of productive-living-ecological land in Yuanzhou District gradually slowed down, and ESV increased year by year. The change of productive-living-ecological pattern showed that the living land was concentrated in the center and expanded outward, and the production land was distributed around towns. Ecological land was expanding to the edge.