EST to CST Time Converter
Live clocks, hourly reference table, and best meeting times for New York and Chicago.
24-Hour Comparison Timeline
Green = working hours · Yellow = early/late · Red = night
Time difference & DST
Central Standard Time is 1 hour behind Eastern Standard Time and covers a huge slice of the continental US, from Chicago and Houston down to New Orleans. The single-hour gap makes EST↔CST one of the easiest US pairings to coordinate.
Both zones observe daylight saving time on the same dates, so the 1-hour offset holds all year. Note that a small portion of Indiana used to opt out of DST, but the state now follows the standard US schedule.
Best time to schedule a call
Any standard business hour works for EST↔CST meetings; the sweet spot is 10:00 AM EST (9:00 AM CST), which is late enough for East Coast commuters and still respects a Central-time morning routine.
24-hour reference table
Hour-by-hour mapping for today's date. Values update automatically as daylight-saving transitions occur.
| EST (New York) | CST (Chicago) |
|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 11:00 PM(Fri, Jul 3) |
| 01:00 AM | 12:00 AM |
| 02:00 AM | 01:00 AM |
| 03:00 AM | 02:00 AM |
| 04:00 AM | 03:00 AM |
| 05:00 AM | 04:00 AM |
| 06:00 AM | 05:00 AM |
| 07:00 AM | 06:00 AM |
| 08:00 AM | 07:00 AM |
| 09:00 AM | 08:00 AM |
| 10:00 AM | 09:00 AM |
| 11:00 AM | 10:00 AM |
| 12:00 PM | 11:00 AM |
| 01:00 PM | 12:00 PM |
| 02:00 PM | 01:00 PM |
| 03:00 PM | 02:00 PM |
| 04:00 PM | 03:00 PM |
| 05:00 PM | 04:00 PM |
| 06:00 PM | 05:00 PM |
| 07:00 PM | 06:00 PM |
| 08:00 PM | 07:00 PM |
| 09:00 PM | 08:00 PM |
| 10:00 PM | 09:00 PM |
| 11:00 PM | 10:00 PM |
Frequently asked questions
What is the time difference between EST and CST?+
EST is 1 hour ahead of CST throughout the year, because both zones observe daylight saving time on the same federal schedule.
Does the difference between EST and CST ever change?+
No. The 1-hour gap is constant, since both switch to daylight saving on the same day in spring and fall.
What time in Chicago is 3 PM EST?+
3:00 PM EST is 2:00 PM CST. On daylight saving dates, 3:00 PM EDT is also 2:00 PM CDT.