Time difference between New York and Stockholm

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

Both change their clocks and both are in the northern hemisphere, but not on the same weekend — New York goes forward on the second Sunday in March and Stockholm on the last 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 New York and Stockholm

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.

Sweden is on Central European Time and far enough north that the offset is the least of the scheduling problem: midsummer daylight runs past midnight in the north of the country and December sun barely clears the horizon.

What 6 hours actually costs you

The window is 2 hours wide and that is all there is. 9:00 AM–11:00 AM in New York is 3:00 PM–5:00 PM in Stockholm, 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 2 hours — 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM in New York, the same moment as 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM in Stockholm.

New York

Stockholm

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How far apart New York and Stockholm are

The shortest path over the Earth's surface between the two is 6,320 km (3,927 miles). Flown along that line, an airliner at cruising speed takes roughly 8 hours 5 minutes 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 6 hours of clock, which is where jet lag comes from: the body shifts by about an hour a day, so 6 hours takes most people 6 days or so to absorb. Flying east to Stockholm is the harder direction — you lose the hours and have to fall asleep earlier than your body wants.

New York to Stockholm, hour by hour

On the usual gap of 6 hours.

Frequently asked questions