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This study contributes to the improvement of the knowledge about quality of life (QoL) in cities, deepening not only in its antecedents, but also in its outcomes, under the theoretical approach of the resource-based view. On the one hand, we hypothesize that QoL in a city can be driven by governance resources such as transparency and reputation; on the other hand, we propose that QoL can be seen as a strategic resource leading to a higher city competitiveness, which in turn can act as an inducer of a higher smart city index. The latter relationship could be explained as a positive resource spiral in cities, relying on resource conservation theory. Our study also provides favorable evidence for these theoretical relationships set out in a structural equation model with a sample of Spanish Smart cities.