All of Costa Rica keeps one time, UTC−6, all year round.
Costa Rica at a glance
| Capital | San José |
|---|---|
| UTC offsets | UTC−6 |
| IANA time zones | 1 |
| Daylight saving time | Not observed since 1992 |
| Abbreviations in use | CST |
Time zone of Costa Rica
Costa Rica uses a single IANA time zone, America/Costa_Rica.
| Time zone | Time now | UTC offset | Daylight saving time | Main cities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| America/Costa_Rica | --:-- | UTC−6 | Not observed | San José |
Clock changes in Costa Rica
Clocks in Costa Rica last changed for daylight saving time in 1992. Since then the offset has stayed the same all year.
Current time in cities in Costa Rica
| City | Region | Time now | Time zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| San José | San José | --:-- | America/Costa_Rica |
Time difference between Costa Rica and other countries
A 9:00 AM start in Costa Rica is 3:00 PM in London, 2:00 AM (next day) in Sydney and 7:00 AM in Los Angeles.
| 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 |
Daylight across Costa Rica
In San José, daylight runs from 11 hours 33 minutes at the December solstice to 12 hours 42 minutes at the June solstice.
Same clock as Costa Rica right now
These countries read the same time as Costa Rica today. Those marked with daylight saving time will drift away when their clocks change.
Tools for time in Costa Rica
- Convert a time to or from 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 Costa Rica and the other cities you work with.
- Open a full-screen clock for your own time zone.
Frequently asked questions
How many time zones does Costa Rica have?
One: America/Costa_Rica, at UTC−6 all year.
Does Costa Rica use daylight saving time?
Not any more. Clocks last changed for daylight saving time in 1992.
What is the time difference between Costa Rica and London?
Costa Rica is 6 hours behind London in January and 7 hours behind London in July, because London moves its clocks for daylight saving time and Costa Rica does not.
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.