What is the time difference between Chicago and Madrid?

Madrid is 7 hours ahead of Chicago. That figure is current — it changes by an hour when either city starts or ends daylight saving, and the exact dates are listed above.

When is the best time to call Madrid from Chicago?

Between 09:00–11:00 in Chicago, which is 16:00–18:00 in Madrid. That is the only stretch where both cities are inside a 09:00–18:00 day.

Does Chicago observe daylight saving time?

Yes. Chicago runs on UTC-6 in winter and UTC-5 in summer. The next change is on 2026-11-01, when clocks go back by 60 minutes.

Does Madrid observe daylight saving time?

Yes. Madrid runs on UTC+1 in winter and UTC+2 in summer. The next change is on 2026-10-25, when clocks go back by 60 minutes.

If it is midday in Chicago, what time is it in Madrid?

It is 19:00 in Madrid, on the same calendar date. That holds for the current offsets; it shifts by an hour around the daylight saving dates listed above.

Which time zones do Chicago and Madrid use?

Chicago uses America/Chicago, currently UTC-5 (CDT), and Madrid uses Europe/Madrid, currently UTC+2 (CEST). Those identifiers are the ones to use in code — abbreviations are ambiguous and offsets change.

Convert Chicago time to Madrid time

Madrid is 7 hours ahead of Chicago right now, so midday in Chicago lands in the evening in Madrid.

Convert a time

From

Date

Time

Converted time

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The converter needs JavaScript to run. Everything below — offsets, daylight saving dates and the hour-by-hour table — is part of the page and works without it.

Hour by hour

The whole day mapped across: read down the left for Chicago, across for Madrid.

Chicago	Madrid
00:00	07:00
01:00	08:00
02:00	09:00
03:00	10:00
04:00	11:00
05:00	12:00
06:00	13:00
07:00	14:00
08:00	15:00
09:00	16:00
10:00	17:00
11:00	18:00
12:00	19:00
13:00	20:00
14:00	21:00
15:00	22:00
16:00	23:00
17:00	00:00next day
18:00	01:00next day
19:00	02:00next day
20:00	03:00next day
21:00	04:00next day
22:00	05:00next day
23:00	06:00next day

Daylight saving time

Both cities change their clocks, but not necessarily on the same date — which is why the difference between them shifts for a few weeks each year.

Chicago

Observes daylight saving time

Standard: UTC-6
Daylight: UTC-5
Next change: 2026-11-01 −60m

Madrid

Observes daylight saving time

Standard: UTC+1
Daylight: UTC+2
Next change: 2026-10-25 −60m

When you can actually talk

You have 2 hours of shared working time: 09:00–11:00 in Chicago, which is 16:00–18:00 in Madrid.

Chicago 09:00–11:00Madrid 16:00–18:00

Reference

The zone identifiers and offsets behind everything above.

	Chicago	Madrid
IANA zone	America/Chicago	Europe/Madrid
Abbreviation	CDT	CEST
Standard offset	UTC-6	UTC+1
Daylight offset	UTC-5	UTC+2
Clock changes this year	2	2
Country	United States	Spain

Example, not the current time. Live times appear once the page loads.

Common questions

What is the time difference between Chicago and Madrid?: Madrid is 7 hours ahead of Chicago. That figure is current — it changes by an hour when either city starts or ends daylight saving, and the exact dates are listed above.
When is the best time to call Madrid from Chicago?: Between 09:00–11:00 in Chicago, which is 16:00–18:00 in Madrid. That is the only stretch where both cities are inside a 09:00–18:00 day.
Does Chicago observe daylight saving time?: Yes. Chicago runs on UTC-6 in winter and UTC-5 in summer. The next change is on 2026-11-01, when clocks go back by 60 minutes.
Does Madrid observe daylight saving time?: Yes. Madrid runs on UTC+1 in winter and UTC+2 in summer. The next change is on 2026-10-25, when clocks go back by 60 minutes.
If it is midday in Chicago, what time is it in Madrid?: It is 19:00 in Madrid, on the same calendar date. That holds for the current offsets; it shifts by an hour around the daylight saving dates listed above.
Which time zones do Chicago and Madrid use?: Chicago uses America/Chicago, currently UTC-5 (CDT), and Madrid uses Europe/Madrid, currently UTC+2 (CEST). Those identifiers are the ones to use in code — abbreviations are ambiguous and offsets change.