Current Time in Houston
The clock shows Houston time to the second. Texas uses Central Time, shown as CST in winter and CDT from March to November.
Current time in Houston
- IANA zone
- Current time in Houston
UTC−6 / −5
Houston's offset: Central Standard Time in winter, Central Daylight Time from March to November
US dates per the US Department of Transportation's daylight saving page.
Central Time in Texas
Houston changes its clocks at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November, like most of the US. Nearly all of Texas uses Central Time; the exceptions are El Paso and Hudspeth County at the western tip, which are on Mountain Time.
The whole Houston metro area, including Galveston, The Woodlands and Sugar Land, keeps Central Time.
- IANA zone
- America/Chicago
- Standard time
- CST · UTC−6
- Daylight saving time
- CDT · UTC−5
- Clocks go forward
- Sun, March 8, 2026 at 2:00 AM local time
- Clocks go back
- Sun, November 1, 2026 at 2:00 AM local time
- Clocks go forward
- Sun, March 14, 2027 at 2:00 AM local time
- Clocks go back
- Sun, November 7, 2027 at 2:00 AM local time
Houston and its trading partners
Energy and port business ties Houston to Mexico, Europe and the Middle East. Mexico ended daylight saving in 2022, so Mexico City is level with Houston in winter and one hour behind in summer. London is six hours ahead of Houston for most of the year and five in the few weeks when only one side has changed its clocks.
Houston's working day overlaps well with both coasts: 9:00 AM in Houston is 10:00 AM in New York and 7:00 AM in Los Angeles all year. For Europe, the useful window is the Houston morning, when London is in its afternoon. Oil and gas firms with partners in the Gulf often meet in the early morning in Houston, when it is already late afternoon in Dubai or Riyadh.
| City | In January | In July |
|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | −4 | −5 |
| Anchorage | −3 | −3 |
| Seattle | −2 | −2 |
| Denver | −1 | −1 |
| Vancouver | −1 | −2 |
| Lima | +1 | 0 |
| Toronto | +1 | +1 |
| Washington, D.C. | +1 | +1 |
| Buenos Aires | +3 | +2 |
| São Paulo | +3 | +2 |
| London | +6 | +6 |
| Amsterdam | +7 | +7 |
| Berlin | +7 | +7 |
| Madrid | +7 | +7 |
| Paris | +7 | +7 |
| Zurich | +7 | +7 |
| Athens | +8 | +8 |
| Cairo | +8 | +8 |
| Johannesburg | +8 | +7 |
| Doha | +9 | +8 |
| Nairobi | +9 | +8 |
| Riyadh | +9 | +8 |
| Dubai | +10 | +9 |
| Delhi | +11:30 | +10:30 |
| Dhaka | +12 | +11 |
| Ho Chi Minh City | +13 | +12 |
| Kuala Lumpur | +14 | +13 |
| Manila | +14 | +13 |
| Perth | +14 | +13 |
| Shanghai | +14 | +13 |
| Taipei | +14 | +13 |
| Seoul | +15 | +14 |
| Brisbane | +16 | +15 |
| Melbourne | +17 | +15 |
| Sydney | +17 | +15 |
Hours to add to the time in Houston; a minus sign means the other city is behind
Do
- Write "Central Time" or "CT" in invitations that span the switch dates; it covers both CST and CDT.
- Use the CST to EST converter for regular calls with the East Coast.
Avoid
- Writing "CST" for a July meeting; in summer Houston is on CDT.
- Confusing US CST with China Standard Time, which is fourteen hours ahead of Houston in winter.
Houston time questions
What time zone is Houston in?
Central Time: CST, UTC−6, in winter and CDT, UTC−5, during daylight saving time.
Is all of Texas on Central Time?
No. El Paso and Hudspeth County in the far west use Mountain Time, one hour behind Houston.
How many hours behind New York is Houston?
One hour, all year.
Is Houston time the same as Chicago time?
Yes. Houston, Dallas, Chicago and New Orleans all use Central Time.
What is the time difference between Houston and Mexico City?
In winter the two match; in summer Houston is one hour ahead, because Mexico stopped using daylight saving time in 2022.