Current local time in Santa Cruz, United States
The live clock above shows the time in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz is in the America/Los Angeles time zone, UTC−7 right now (PDT).
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Region | California |
| Population | about 102,000 |
| Coordinates | 36.97° N, 122.03° W |
| Time zone | America/Los Angeles |
| Abbreviation | PST / PDT |
| UTC offset | UTC−8 (winter) / UTC−7 (summer) |
| Daylight saving time | Yes |
Daylight saving time
Santa Cruz uses daylight saving time: clocks switch between UTC−8 (PST) and UTC−7 (PDT). The next change is on Sunday, November 1, 2026, when clocks go back one hour.
Sunrise, sunset and daylight
Today: sunrise …, sunset …, .
| 2026 | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 7:11 AM | 7:19 PM | 12 h 7 min |
| June solstice | 5:48 AM | 8:30 PM | 14 h 42 min |
| September equinox | 6:55 AM | 7:05 PM | 12 h 9 min |
| December solstice | 7:17 AM | 4:54 PM | 9 h 37 min |
Clock time vs. sun time
The sun is highest over Santa Cruz at about 12:17 PM in mid-January, and about 1:13 PM in mid-July. On standard time, local clocks run about 8 minutes ahead of the sun, because Santa Cruz sits at 122.0° W, while its time zone is centred on 120.0° W.
Santa Cruz time compared with other cities
| City | Time now | Compared with Santa Cruz |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 3 hours ahead | |
| London | 8 hours ahead | |
| Paris | 9 hours ahead | |
| Dubai | 12 hours ahead in Jan, 11 hours ahead in Jul | |
| Mumbai | 13.5 hours ahead in Jan, 12.5 hours ahead in Jul | |
| Shanghai | 16 hours ahead in Jan, 15 hours ahead in Jul | |
| Tokyo | 17 hours ahead in Jan, 16 hours ahead in Jul | |
| Sydney | 19 hours ahead in Jan, 17 hours ahead in Jul |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Time now vs Santa Cruz |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose | 40 km (25 mi) | same time |
| Salinas | 47 km (29 mi) | same time |
| San Mateo | 70 km (43 mi) | same time |
| Oakland | 90 km (56 mi) | same time |
| San Francisco | 94 km (58 mi) | same time |
| Berkeley | 103 km (64 mi) | same time |
| Modesto | 119 km (74 mi) | same time |
| Stockton | 127 km (79 mi) | same time |
Other cities in United States
- New York
- Los Angeles
- Chicago
- Houston
- Philadelphia
- Dallas
- Miami
- Boston
- Detroit
- Atlanta
- Washington DC
- Phoenix
- San Francisco
- San Diego
- Denver
- Seattle
- Irvine
- Pittsburgh
Questions people ask
What time zone is Santa Cruz in?
Santa Cruz is in the America/Los Angeles time zone, UTC−8, or UTC−7 during daylight saving time.
Does Santa Cruz have daylight saving time?
Santa Cruz uses daylight saving time: clocks switch between UTC−8 (PST) and UTC−7 (PDT). The next change is on Sunday, November 1, 2026, when clocks go back one hour.
Why isn't noon in Santa Cruz when the sun is highest?
Because time zones are wide. Santa Cruz's clocks follow a zone centred on 120.0° W, so on standard time they run about 8 minutes ahead of the sun. Daylight saving time adds another hour.
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Time zone data: IANA tz database 2026e. Population: Natural Earth (approximate).