Mexico City to AST
+2hMexico City
CSTSOURCEAST
ASTGreen rows indicate typical business hours (9 AM - 5 PM)
CST and AST on the World Map
The map below highlights the CST (Central Standard Time) and AST (Atlantic Standard Time) timezone regions across the globe.
CST – Central Standard Time
UTC-06:00Central Standard Time (CST) is the time zone for the central United States, Canada, and Mexico, 6 hours behind UTC.
- •CST covers 20 US states fully or partially.
- •Chicago and Houston are the two largest cities in the Central Time Zone.
- •Mexico City, one of the world's most populous cities, operates on CST.
- •CST is 1 hour behind EST and 2 hours ahead of PST.
AST – Atlantic Standard Time
UTC-04:00Atlantic Standard Time (AST) is the time zone for the Canadian Atlantic provinces and the Caribbean, 4 hours behind UTC.
- •Puerto Rico uses AST year-round and does not observe DST.
- •AST is 1 hour ahead of EST.
- •Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, is the largest city in AST Canada.
About Mexico City
WikipediaMexico City operates on Central Time (CST/CDT), same as Chicago. As North America's largest city, Mexico City bridges US and Latin American business hours.
Mexico City is the oldest capital city in the Americas.
Comparing Time Zones: Mexico City and AST
Mexico City runs on Central Standard Time (CST) at UTC-06:00. AST runs on Atlantic Standard Time (AST) at UTC-04:00. That puts Mexico City 2 hours ahead of AST — a difference of +2h at the current offsets.
In practice, when it is 9:00 AM in Mexico City it is 11:00 AM in AST. Midnight in Mexico City is 2:00 AM in AST. Neither zone observes daylight saving time, so the offset between them stays constant all year.
Mexico City to AST time conversion table
| Mexico City (CST) | AST (AST) | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 2:00 AM | same day |
| 6:00 AM | 8:00 AM | same day |
| 7:00 AM | 9:00 AM | same day |
| 8:00 AM | 10:00 AM | same day |
| 9:00 AM | 11:00 AM | same day |
| 12:00 PM | 2:00 PM | same day |
| 3:00 PM | 5:00 PM | same day |
| 5:00 PM | 7:00 PM | same day |
| 6:00 PM | 8:00 PM | same day |
| 9:00 PM | 11:00 PM | same day |
Why people convert Mexico City to AST time
- Scheduling a call from Mexico City to AST: a 10:00 AM start in Mexico City lands at 12:00 PM in AST, so you can confirm the slot without doing the arithmetic yourself.
- Finding shared working hours: both Mexico City and AST are inside the 9-to-5 working day between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM CST time (11:00 AM–5:00 PM AST). That is roughly 6 hours of usable overlap.
- Keeping family and friends in sync: knowing that 8:00 PM in Mexico City is 10:00 PM in AST makes it easy to avoid calling at 3 AM.
- Always state the zone abbreviation, not just the hour. "3:00 PM CST" is unambiguous; "3 PM" across a +2h gap is not.
- Block 9:00 AM–3:00 PM CST as the recurring meeting window if you work primarily from Mexico City and need AST colleagues present.
About CST (Central Standard Time)
Central Standard Time (CST) covers the central region of North America. It is the second most populous time zone in the US, including major cities like Chicago, Houston, and Dallas. CST is also used in Mexico City and much of Central America including Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Costa Rica. During summer, most of the US and Canada switch to Central Daylight Time (CDT, UTC-05:00), while Mexico and Central American countries generally remain on CST.
About AST (Atlantic Standard Time)
Atlantic Standard Time (AST) covers Canada's Atlantic provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and most of Labrador), as well as several Caribbean nations. Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands use AST year-round without daylight saving time. The Canadian provinces switch to Atlantic Daylight Time (ADT) in summer.
Best time to call between Mexico City and AST
Both Mexico City and AST sit inside the 9 AM – 5 PM working day between 9:00 AM–3:00 PM CST, which is 11:00 AM–5:00 PM AST. That gives roughly 6 hours of shared time — the safest window for a live call or meeting.
Business hours overlap
Mexico City and AST share 6 hours of working-hours overlap (9:00 AM–3:00 PM CST), so scheduling a live meeting is straightforward.
Mexico City is 2 hours ahead of AST (CST UTC-06:00 → AST UTC-04:00). The shared working window is 9:00 AM–3:00 PM CST. Remember to re-check around daylight-saving transitions.
🕐 Daylight Saving Time Info
Mexico City
Does not observe DST
AST
☀ Currently in DST
Standard: UTC-04:00 · DST: UTC-03:00
Clocks fall back on Sun, Nov 1, 2026
Learn More About Time
Dive deeper into the fascinating world of timekeeping, time zones, and how they shape our global society:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the time difference between Mexico City and AST?
Mexico City (CST, UTC-06:00) is 2 hours ahead of AST (AST, UTC-04:00). The gap is currently +2h.
How do I convert Mexico City time to AST time?
Add +2h to Mexico City local time. For example, 9:00 AM in Mexico City is 11:00 AM in AST.
What time is it in AST right now?
AST uses AST at UTC-04:00. Use the live converter at the top of this page — it updates in real time and already accounts for the +2h offset from Mexico City.
What is the best time to call AST from Mexico City?
Call between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM CST — that maps to 11:00 AM–5:00 PM AST and keeps both parties inside the working day.
Which is ahead, Mexico City or AST?
Mexico City is 2 hours ahead of AST. When it is 12:00 PM in Mexico City it is 2:00 PM in AST.
Do Mexico City and AST use different time zones?
Mexico City (Mexico) uses CST at UTC-06:00, while AST uses AST at UTC-04:00. The IANA identifiers are America/Mexico_City and America/Halifax.
Does daylight saving time affect the Mexico City–AST difference?
Neither zone observes daylight saving time, so the +2h offset between Mexico City and AST is fixed all year.
Which other cities share Mexico City's time zone?
CST also covers Chicago, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Mexico City, Austin, Winnipeg, Memphis and 6 more.
Which countries use CST, Mexico City's zone?
CST is used in United States (Central), Canada (Manitoba, Saskatchewan), Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and 1 more.
Is there a day difference between Mexico City and AST?
Not normally. The +2h gap only pushes the date over for late-evening times.
What is the time difference between Mexico City and AST?
AST is +2h from Mexico City.
What timezone is Mexico City in?
Mexico City operates on Central Time (CST/CDT), same as Chicago. As North America's largest city, Mexico City bridges US and Latin American business hours.
What timezone is AST in?
AST operates on its local timezone.
What are the business hours in Mexico City?
Standard business hours in Mexico City are 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM CST.
Which countries use CST (Central Standard Time)?
CST is used in United States (Central), Canada (Manitoba, Saskatchewan), Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and 3 more countries.
Does CST observe daylight saving time?
Yes, CST switches to CDT during summer months.
What are some interesting facts about CST?
CST covers 20 US states fully or partially. Chicago and Houston are the two largest cities in the Central Time Zone.
Which cities are in the AST timezone?
Major cities in the AST timezone include Halifax, San Juan, Santo Domingo, Caracas, La Paz, Fredericton, Charlottetown.
What is the UTC offset for AST?
Atlantic Standard Time (AST) is at UTC-04:00. During daylight saving time, it shifts to ADT.
What should I know about the AST timezone?
Puerto Rico uses AST year-round and does not observe DST. AST is 1 hour ahead of EST.
When is it midnight in Mexico City, what time is it in AST?
When it is 12:00 AM (midnight) in Mexico City (CST), it is +2h later in AST (AST).
Related Developer Tools
Explore more tools that work great with timezone conversions for international teams:
Related Timezone Conversions
More Mexico City time conversions
- mexico city to mexico
- mexico city to new york
- mexico city to los angeles
- mexico city to chicago
- mexico city to denver
- mexico city to toronto
- mexico city to vancouver
- mexico city to sao paulo
- mexico city to buenos aires
- mexico city to bogota
- mexico city to lima
- mexico city to santiago
- mexico city to anchorage
- mexico city to london
- mexico city to dubai
- mexico city to tokyo
- mexico city to singapore
- mexico city to sydney
- mexico city to paris
- mexico city to delhi
- mexico city to mumbai
- mexico city to berlin
- mexico city to hong kong
- mexico city to kathmandu
- new york to mexico city
- london to mexico city
- dubai to mexico city
- tokyo to mexico city
- singapore to mexico city
- sydney to mexico city
- los angeles to mexico city
- paris to mexico city
- delhi to mexico city
- mumbai to mexico city
- berlin to mexico city
- hong kong to mexico city
See every conversion from Mexico City →·See every conversion from AST →