Improving the quality of life in rural communities is essential for sustainable development and poverty reduction. This study develops a structured decision-making framework to evaluate rural livelihood opportunities by integrating economic, social, and environmental dimensions. The analysis focuses on the Sundarban coastal region of India, using data from 171 residents to assess 10 livelihood options across 12 criteria identified through literature review, field observations, and community interactions. A new multi-criteria decision-making method, called Decision based on Root Assessment and Aggregated Score (DRAAS), is proposed to rank the alternatives, while Weights by Envelope and Slope (WENSLO) method is used to determine the importance of criteria. Individual responses are aggregated to ensure consistency in group evaluation. To capture sustainability balance and resilience, sustainability balance index and resilience potential index are also introduced. The results identify job creation, mitigation of greenhouse effects, and government support as the most influential criteria. Agriculture, sericulture, and tourism emerge as the most sustainable options, with performance scores of 0.8135, 0.8126, and 0.8087, along with sustainability balance values of 0.70 and resilience levels between 3.5 and 3.8. By combining local perspectives with quantitative analysis, the proposed framework offers a practical tool for evaluating rural livelihoods and supports informed, evidence-based policy decisions.