Time zone
Eastern Standard Time (EST), UTC−5. IANA zone America/New_York.
Time in South Carolina, United States
Time in Charleston, South Carolina now
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
EST · UTC−5 Eastern Standard Time
- Sunrise
- 6:39 AM
- Sunset
- 5:27 PM
- Day length
- 10 h 48 min
- Daylight saving
- Changes Mar 14, 2027
Charleston time zone
Clock changes
Sunday, March 14, 2027: clocks go forward 1 hour at 2:00 AM local time (UTC−5 → UTC−4).
Location
Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Coordinates 32.78° N, 79.93° W; population about 132,609.
Sunrise and sunset in Charleston today
- Dawn (civil)
- 6:13 AM
- Sunrise
- 6:39 AM
- Solar noon
- 12:03 PM
- Sunset
- 5:27 PM
- Dusk (civil)
- 5:53 PM
- Day length
- 10 h 48 min
- Night length
- 13 h 12 min
- Golden hour, morning
- 6:23 AM – 7:13 AM
- Golden hour, evening
- 4:52 PM – 5:43 PM
- Blue hour, morning
- 6:13 AM – 6:23 AM
- Blue hour, evening
- 5:43 PM – 5:53 PM
Calculated for the city centre at sea level; accurate to about a minute. Golden hour is when the sun is between 4° below and 6° above the horizon; blue hour between 6° and 4° below. See the whole month or another date.
Charleston time compared with other cities
Hour comparison appears when this page finishes loading.
| City | Local time | Difference from Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, California | 4:00 AM | 3 hours behind Charleston |
| Chicago, Illinois | 6:00 AM | 1 hour behind Charleston |
| Denver, Colorado | 5:00 AM | 2 hours behind Charleston |
| Phoenix, Arizona | 5:00 AM | 2 hours behind Charleston |
| Honolulu, Hawaii | 2:00 AM | 5 hours behind Charleston |
| Anchorage, Alaska | 3:00 AM | 4 hours behind Charleston |
| Toronto, Canada | 7:00 AM | Same time as Charleston |
| Vancouver, Canada | 5:00 AM | 2 hours behind Charleston |
| Mexico City, Mexico | 6:00 AM | 1 hour behind Charleston |
| São Paulo, Brazil | 9:00 AM | 2 hours ahead of Charleston |
| Buenos Aires, Argentina | 9:00 AM | 2 hours ahead of Charleston |
| London, United Kingdom | 12:00 PM | 5 hours ahead of Charleston |
| Dublin, Ireland | 12:00 PM | 5 hours ahead of Charleston |
| Paris, France | 1:00 PM | 6 hours ahead of Charleston |
Questions about time in Charleston
What time zone is Charleston in?
Charleston uses Eastern Standard Time (EST, UTC−5) as standard time and Eastern Daylight Time (EDT, UTC−4) during daylight saving time. Its IANA time-zone identifier is America/New_York, which is what phones and computers use to set the local time.
Does Charleston observe daylight saving time?
Yes. Sunday, March 14, 2027: clocks go forward 1 hour at 2:00 AM local time (UTC−5 → UTC−4). The previous change was on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
How far is Charleston from UTC?
Charleston is 5 hours behind UTC on standard time and 4 hours behind UTC during daylight saving time.
What time is sunrise and sunset in Charleston today?
The table above shows today’s sunrise, sunset and day length for the city centre. As an example, on Tuesday, November 3, 2026 the sun rose at 6:39 AM and set at 5:27 PM, giving 10 h 48 min of daylight.
Near Charleston
- North Charleston, South Carolina 10 km
- Savannah, Georgia 134 km
- Columbia, South Carolina 170 km
- Wilmington, North Carolina 245 km
- Fayetteville, North Carolina 271 km
- Charlotte, North Carolina 285 km
- Jacksonville, Florida 317 km
- Athens, Georgia 346 km