Time difference between Lisbon and New York

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 New York goes forward on the second Sunday in March and back on the first Sunday in November.

Both change their clocks and both are in the northern hemisphere, but not on the same weekend — Lisbon goes forward on the last Sunday in March and New York on the second Sunday in March. For the days in between, the gap is neither party's expected figure, and a standing meeting silently moves by an hour. That mismatch is a common cause of a missed international call.

About Lisbon and New York

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.

New York is UTC−5 in winter and UTC−4 from March to November, and it changes clocks on different weekends from Europe — a fortnight in March and a week in autumn when the transatlantic gap is an hour off what everyone expects.

What 5 hours actually costs you

The window is 3 hours wide and that is all there is. 2:00 PM–5:00 PM in Lisbon is 9:00 AM–12:00 PM in New York, and anything outside it puts somebody at their desk when they are not meant to be. A pair this tight is worth putting in a calendar rather than agreeing each time.

When they can both be at their desks

Nine-to-five in both cities overlaps for 3 hours — 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM in Lisbon, the same moment as 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM in New York.

Lisbon

New York

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How far apart Lisbon and New York are

The shortest path over the Earth's surface between the two is 5,422 km (3,369 miles). Flown along that line, an airliner at cruising speed takes roughly 7 hours in the air — actual routings add to it, and whether a nonstop service exists depends on the airlines rather than the distance.

Over that distance you cross 5 hours of clock, which is where jet lag comes from: the body shifts by about an hour a day, so 5 hours takes most people 5 days or so to absorb. Flying west to New York is the easier direction — you gain the hours, and staying up later comes more naturally than going to bed early.

Lisbon to New York, hour by hour

On the usual gap of 5 hours.

Frequently asked questions