Offset
The time difference between Madrid and San José is 8 hours.
Madrid (CEST) is ahead of San José (CST).
CEST: UTC+2
CST: UTC-6
Madrid is currently observing daylight saving time; San José is not.
When to schedule
Standard business hours (9 AM–5 PM, Mon–Fri) in Madrid and San José don't overlap on the same weekday. San José is 8 hours behind Madrid.
With some flexibility, there’s a workable window outside standard hours:
- 3 PM–8 PM in Madrid (7 AM–12 PM in San José) — suggest 5:00 PM Madrid (9:00 AM San José).
This means an early start or late finish for one side, but it’s a reasonable slot for a one-off meeting.
This window may shift by an hour during daylight saving time.
Public holidays in 2026
National public holidays can affect availability — a counterpart is likely off work on their own holidays, so it's worth planning meetings and deadlines around them.
Spain
- New Year's DayThu, Jan 1
- EpiphanyTue, Jan 6
- Good FridayFri, Apr 3
- Labour DayFri, May 1
- AssumptionSat, Aug 15
- National Day of SpainMon, Oct 12
- All Saints DaySun, Nov 1
- Constitution DaySun, Dec 6
- Immaculate ConceptionTue, Dec 8
- Christmas DayFri, Dec 25
Costa Rica
- New Year's DayThu, Jan 1
- Maundy ThursdayThu, Apr 2
- Good FridayFri, Apr 3
- Juan Santamaría DaySat, Apr 11
- Labour DayFri, May 1
- Annexation of the Party of Nicoya to Costa RicaSat, Jul 25
- Feast of Our Lady of the AngelsSun, Aug 2
- Mother's DaySat, Aug 15
- Independence DayTue, Sep 15
- Army Abolition DayTue, Dec 1
- Christmas DayFri, Dec 25
About these zones
Quick reference
Full 24-hour conversion table — tap any time to open it in the converter.
| Madrid | San José | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 am | 4:00 pm | -1 day |
| 1:00 am | 5:00 pm | -1 day |
| 2:00 am | 6:00 pm | -1 day |
| 3:00 am | 7:00 pm | -1 day |
| 4:00 am | 8:00 pm | -1 day |
| 5:00 am | 9:00 pm | -1 day |
| 6:00 am | 10:00 pm | -1 day |
| 7:00 am | 11:00 pm | -1 day |
| 8:00 am | 12:00 am | Same day |
| 9:00 am | 1:00 am | Same day |
| 10:00 am | 2:00 am | Same day |
| 11:00 am | 3:00 am | Same day |
| 12:00 pm | 4:00 am | Same day |
| 1:00 pm | 5:00 am | Same day |
| 2:00 pm | 6:00 am | Same day |
| 3:00 pm | 7:00 am | Same day |
| 4:00 pm | 8:00 am | Same day |
| 5:00 pm | 9:00 am | Same day |
| 6:00 pm | 10:00 am | Same day |
| 7:00 pm | 11:00 am | Same day |
| 8:00 pm | 12:00 pm | Same day |
| 9:00 pm | 1:00 pm | Same day |
| 10:00 pm | 2:00 pm | Same day |
| 11:00 pm | 3:00 pm | Same day |
Daylight saving time
Madrid observes daylight saving time; San José does not. The offset between the two zones changes when Madrid transitions: on Sunday, October 25, 2026, clocks fall back from CEST to CET.
See the daylight saving time page for transition dates across every time zone.
Daylight today
- Sunrise
- 6:46 AM
- Sunset
- 9:44 PM
- Day length
- 14h 58m
- Sunrise
- 5:16 AM
- Sunset
- 5:57 PM
- Day length
- 12h 41m
Cities in these zones
Other cities in Central European Time
Browse all cities to see the current local time anywhere.
Airports in these zones
Airports in Central European Time
- MAD
- BCN
Airports in Central Standard Time
- SJO
- SYQ
Related conversions
Common conversions
- What is 9:00 am Madrid in San José?
- 9:00 am Madrid is 1:00 am San José.
- What is 12:00 pm Madrid in San José?
- 12:00 pm Madrid is 4:00 am San José.
- What is 12:30 pm Madrid in San José?
- 12:30 pm Madrid is 4:30 am San José.
- What is 2:00 pm Madrid in San José?
- 2:00 pm Madrid is 6:00 am San José.
- What is 5:00 pm Madrid in San José?
- 5:00 pm Madrid is 9:00 am San José.
- What is 11:30 pm Madrid in San José?
- 11:30 pm Madrid is 3:30 pm San José.