America/Costa_Rica is an IANA time zone used in Costa Rica. It stays on UTC−6 all year.
America/Costa_Rica at a glance
| UTC offset now | UTC−6 |
|---|---|
| Standard time | UTC−6 (CST) |
| Abbreviations | CST |
| Used in | Costa Rica |
Rules of the America/Costa_Rica time zone
America/Costa_Rica has stayed on UTC−6 since its last daylight saving period in 1992. Software that still applies an old rule will show the wrong time, so keep tz data up to date.
Recent and upcoming changes in America/Costa_Rica
| Date | Change | New offset |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, January 19, 1991 | Clocks go forward 1 hour: 12:00 AM becomes 1:00 AM | UTC−5 |
| Sunday, June 30, 1991 | Clocks go back 1 hour: 12:00 AM becomes 11:00 PM | UTC−6 |
| Saturday, January 18, 1992 | Clocks go forward 1 hour: 12:00 AM becomes 1:00 AM | UTC−5 |
| Saturday, March 14, 1992 | Clocks go back 1 hour for good: 12:00 AM becomes 11:00 PM | UTC−6 |
Where America/Costa_Rica is used
America/Costa_Rica is used in Costa Rica. These are the largest cities in our list that follow it.
America/Costa_Rica compared with other time zones
Differences change during the year when one side moves to or from daylight saving time, so the table shows January and July separately.
| City | Time now | Difference now | In January | In July |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York (United States) | --:-- | 1 h ahead | 1 h ahead | 2 h ahead |
| Los Angeles (United States) | --:-- | 2 h behind | 2 h behind | 1 h behind |
| London (United Kingdom) | --:-- | 6 h ahead | 6 h ahead | 7 h ahead |
| Paris (France) | --:-- | 7 h ahead | 7 h ahead | 8 h ahead |
| Dubai (United Arab Emirates) | --:-- | 10 h ahead | 10 h ahead | 10 h ahead |
| Mumbai (India) | --:-- | 11 h 30 min ahead | 11 h 30 min ahead | 11 h 30 min ahead |
| Singapore | --:-- | 14 h ahead | 14 h ahead | 14 h ahead |
| Tokyo (Japan) | --:-- | 15 h ahead | 15 h ahead | 15 h ahead |
| Sydney (Australia) | --:-- | 17 h ahead | 17 h ahead | 16 h ahead |
| UTC | --:-- | 6 h ahead | 6 h ahead | 6 h ahead |
Other zones on UTC−6 right now
These IANA zones show the same time as America/Costa_Rica today. Their clock-change rules may differ.
- America/Belize
- America/Chicago
- America/Chihuahua
- America/Edmonton
- America/El_Salvador
- America/Guatemala
- America/Managua
- America/Matamoros
- America/Merida
- America/Mexico_City
- America/Monterrey
- America/Regina
Using America/Costa_Rica in software
Use the zone name America/Costa_Rica rather than an abbreviation or a fixed offset. Abbreviations can mean several zones, and offsets ignore future clock changes.
Show the current time in America/Costa_Rica:
// JavaScript
new Intl.DateTimeFormat('en-GB', { timeZone: 'America/Costa_Rica', timeStyle: 'long' }).format(new Date());
# Python
from datetime import datetime
from zoneinfo import ZoneInfo
datetime.now(ZoneInfo('America/Costa_Rica'))
// PHP
(new DateTime('now', new DateTimeZone('America/Costa_Rica')))->format('c');
# Shell
TZ=America/Costa_Rica datePlan around the time in America/Costa_Rica
- Convert a time to or from America/Costa_Rica: pick a date and time and see it in every city on your list.
- Add San José to your world clock to keep it next to your own time.
- Find a meeting time that falls inside office hours in America/Costa_Rica and the other cities you work with.
- Open a full-screen clock for your own time zone.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UTC offset of America/Costa_Rica?
UTC−6, all year.
What abbreviation does America/Costa_Rica use?
CST. Abbreviations are not unique, so use the zone name America/Costa_Rica in software.
Time zone rules: IANA tz database, version 2026e. Place names and coordinates: GeoNames. Sunrise and sunset are calculated from the coordinates and can differ by a minute or two from local almanacs.