Time now in Costa Rica

UTC-06:00 • America/Costa_Rica (CST)

Your device clock is 811ms behind of the detected local time (America/Costa_Rica, UTC-06:00). Time reference obtained from NIST NTP servers with an accuracy of ±0.021 seconds.

03:26:36
Wednesday, September 16, 2026, week 38

Time in Costa Rica now

Costa Rica has one official time zone: CST (UTC-06:00).

Part of the territory observes daylight saving time (DST), which moves the clock forward one hour during part of the year.

Official time in Costa Rica is defined by a single time zone.

What is the time zone in Costa Rica?

Official time in Costa Rica is defined by a single time zone (IANA zone). Below are the zone and its UTC offset.

Main time zones in Costa Rica

Time zone Offset (UTC) Main cities
America/Costa_Rica UTC-06:00 San José, Limón, San Francisco, Heredia

List of time zones used in Costa Rica (IANA zones)

Zone Offset (UTC) Daylight saving
America/Costa_Rica UTC-06:00 Yes

Time difference between Ashburn, Virginia, United States and Costa Rica

The time difference between Ashburn, Virginia, United States and Costa Rica depends on the region.

  • San José: 2 hour(s) ahead of the time in Ashburn, Virginia, United States

Does Costa Rica use daylight saving time?

Yes. Part of Costa Rica observes daylight saving time (DST). Start and end dates vary by zone.

Recent time changes in Costa Rica

  • 1992-03-14 at 23:00 (local time) – return to standard time

The last time change in Costa Rica was on 1992-03-14 at 23:00 (local time) (zone America/Costa_Rica): clocks went back (fall, back to standard) — transition from CDT to CST.

Frequently asked questions

What time is it in Costa Rica?
The country has several time zones. The current time depends on the region and varies between UTC-6:00 and UTC-6:00. The clock at the top of this page shows the time synchronized with official sources.
How many time zones does Costa Rica have?
Costa Rica has 1 main time zone(s). The IANA database lists specific zones used in different regions.
Does Costa Rica use daylight saving time?
Yes. Most regions of Costa Rica observe daylight saving time (DST). Clocks are typically set forward in March and back in November.

See also

How to convert Costa Rica time

To convert Costa Rica time to other countries:

  1. Identify the time zone of the city or region.
  2. Check whether daylight saving time (DST) is in effect.
  3. Compare with the UTC offset of your country.
Time now in locations in Costa Rica with links for more information (159 locations)