[Objectives]This study investigates the spatial trade-offs of cultivated land multifunctional in mountainous-hilly regions under dual constraints of rapid urbanization and ecological conservation, aiming to provide scientific decision-making support for coordinating sustainable land resource utilization and alleviating human-land conflicts.[Methods]Focusing on Chongqing Municipality, we developed a functional evaluation framework (production-living-ecological spaces) for cultivated land. Through integrated application of entropy weight method, comprehensive index assessment, coupling coordination model, and K-means clustering, we systematically analyzed the spatiotemporal dynamics and synergies of multifunctional from 2013 to 2022.[Results](1)Production functionality of cultivated land exhibits a spatial pattern characterized by "western-high vs. eastern-low" gradients with large-scale clustering and localized dispersion, primarily concentrated in metropolitan peripheries. ecological functions demonstrate high-value agglomerations along the Wuling Mountain Range, Daba Mountain Range, and Yangtze River ecological corridors. (2) The coupling and coordination degree of cultivated land production-living-ecological spaces functions in Chongqing was significantly improved during 2013–2022, transitioning from "inefficient imbalance" to "preliminary coordination." (3) Cultivated land was classified into three functional zones: agricultural optimization transition zone (16.22%), agricultural production vitality zone (40.54%), and ecological-living conservation zone (43.24%), each displaying distinct spatial differentiation in land-use configurations.[Conclusion]Cultivated land multifunctional in Chongqing demonstrates marked spatiotemporal heterogeneity, showing a transition toward coordinated development while retaining regional disparities. These findings advance theoretical frameworks for multifunctional land optimization and sustainable spatial governance in mountainous urbanizing regions.