Jamaica is on Eastern Standard Time (EST), UTC-5, all year round.
The important part is what most guides leave out: Jamaica does not observe daylight saving time. The clocks here never change. That means the difference between Jamaica and your home shifts twice a year even though nothing changes on our end.
The difference from where you are
- New York and Toronto — same time as Jamaica in winter. One hour ahead of Jamaica in summer.
- Chicago — one hour behind Jamaica in winter. Same time in summer.
- Los Angeles — three hours behind in winter, two hours behind in summer.
- London — five hours ahead in winter, six hours ahead in summer.
If you are joining calls from the villa, check the gap for the actual dates of your stay rather than assuming.
Sunrise and sunset
Being close to the equator, day length barely changes. Expect sunrise around 6:00–6:30 AM and sunset around 5:30–6:30 PM whatever the season. There is no long summer evening here — darkness arrives quickly, and sunset is very much the event of the day.