Offset
The time difference between San José and Eastern Time is 2 hours.
San José (CST) is behind Eastern Time (EDT).
CST: UTC-6
EDT: UTC-4
Eastern Time is currently observing daylight saving time; San José is not.
When to schedule
Business-hours overlap: 9 AM–3 PM in San José (11 AM–5 PM in Eastern Time).
Both teams are in working hours during this window on weekdays.
Suggested time: 12:00 PM San José (2:00 PM Eastern Time).
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.
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
United States
- New Year's DayThu, Jan 1
- Martin Luther King, Jr. DayMon, Jan 19
- Presidents DayMon, Feb 16
- Memorial DayMon, May 25
- Juneteenth National Independence DayFri, Jun 19
- Independence DayFri, Jul 3
- Labour DayMon, Sep 7
- Columbus DayMon, Oct 12
- Veterans DayWed, Nov 11
- Thanksgiving DayThu, Nov 26
- Christmas DayFri, Dec 25
About these zones
San José uses Central Standard Time. To call Costa Rica, dial +506.
Eastern Time is also known as EST, or EDT. To call United States, dial +1.
Eastern Time is approximately 2,200 miles north of San José.
Quick reference
Full 24-hour conversion table — tap any time to open it in the converter.
| San José | EST | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 am | 2:00 am | Same day |
| 1:00 am | 3:00 am | Same day |
| 2:00 am | 4:00 am | Same day |
| 3:00 am | 5:00 am | Same day |
| 4:00 am | 6:00 am | Same day |
| 5:00 am | 7:00 am | Same day |
| 6:00 am | 8:00 am | Same day |
| 7:00 am | 9:00 am | Same day |
| 8:00 am | 10:00 am | Same day |
| 9:00 am | 11:00 am | Same day |
| 10:00 am | 12:00 pm | Same day |
| 11:00 am | 1:00 pm | Same day |
| 12:00 pm | 2:00 pm | Same day |
| 1:00 pm | 3:00 pm | Same day |
| 2:00 pm | 4:00 pm | Same day |
| 3:00 pm | 5:00 pm | Same day |
| 4:00 pm | 6:00 pm | Same day |
| 5:00 pm | 7:00 pm | Same day |
| 6:00 pm | 8:00 pm | Same day |
| 7:00 pm | 9:00 pm | Same day |
| 8:00 pm | 10:00 pm | Same day |
| 9:00 pm | 11:00 pm | Same day |
| 10:00 pm | 12:00 am | +1 day |
| 11:00 pm | 1:00 am | +1 day |
Daylight saving time
Eastern Time observes daylight saving time; San José does not. The offset between the two zones changes when Eastern Time transitions: on Sunday, November 1, 2026, clocks fall back from EDT to EST.
See the daylight saving time page for transition dates across every time zone.
Daylight today
- Sunrise
- 5:16 AM
- Sunset
- 5:57 PM
- Day length
- 12h 41m
- Sunrise
- 5:26 AM
- Sunset
- 8:26 PM
- Day length
- 15h
Daylight overlap: 12h 41m — 5:16 AM–5:57 PM in San José (7:16 AM–7:57 PM in Eastern Time). Both locations are in daylight during this window.
Cities in these zones
Cities in Eastern Time
Browse all cities to see the current local time anywhere.
Airports in these zones
Airports in Central Standard Time
- SJO
- SYQ
Airports in Eastern Time
- EWR
- HPN
- JFK
- LGA
- TEB
- ILG
- PHL
- TTN
- CLT
- USA
Related conversions
Common conversions
- What is 9:00 am San José in EST?
- 9:00 am San José is 11:00 am EST.
- What is 12:00 pm San José in EST?
- 12:00 pm San José is 2:00 pm EST.
- What is 12:30 pm San José in EST?
- 12:30 pm San José is 2:30 pm EST.
- What is 2:00 pm San José in EST?
- 2:00 pm San José is 4:00 pm EST.
- What is 5:00 pm San José in EST?
- 5:00 pm San José is 7:00 pm EST.
- What is 11:30 pm San José in EST?
- 11:30 pm San José is 1:30 am EST, the next day.