Time difference between Lisbon and Johannesburg

The gap is not the same all year

Every converter gives one number for this pair. That number is right for most of the year and wrong for part of it, because Lisbon goes forward on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October and Johannesburg does not change its clocks.

Johannesburg stays put all year while Lisbon moves, so a meeting fixed in Johannesburg's calendar shifts by an hour twice a year at Lisbon's end.

About Lisbon and Johannesburg

Portugal keeps UTC, an hour behind neighbouring Spain despite sitting further west than most of it. The country tried Central European Time from 1992 to 1996 and abandoned it after schoolchildren were leaving home in the dark, which is the clearest natural experiment anyone has run on the question.

South Africa is UTC+2 and has not changed its clocks since two wartime years in the 1940s. The whole country keeps one zone, and the gap to the UK is two hours in winter and one in summer.

What 1 hour actually costs you

This is an easy pair. 7 hours of the working day are shared, which is enough for a standing meeting at a time neither side has to think about. 9:00 AM–4:00 PM in Lisbon lands inside office hours at both ends.

When they can both be at their desks

Nine-to-five in both cities overlaps for 7 hours — 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM in Lisbon, the same moment as 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM in Johannesburg.

Lisbon

Johannesburg

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How far apart Lisbon and Johannesburg are

The shortest path over the Earth's surface between the two is 8,190 km (5,089 miles). Flown along that line, an airliner at cruising speed takes roughly 10 hours 20 minutes in the air — actual routings add to it, and whether a nonstop service exists depends on the airlines rather than the distance.

A gap of 1 hour is small enough that most people adjust within a day or two, and short enough that it rarely disrupts a trip.

Lisbon to Johannesburg, hour by hour

On the usual gap of 1 hour.

Frequently asked questions