Colombia runs on Colombia Time (COT), UTC-5, year-round, since the country doesn’t observe daylight saving time. That single fact is the whole story, and it’s a genuine practical advantage for remote workers with US and European clients.
What this means in practice #
Colombia matches US Eastern Standard Time exactly for about half the year (winter, when the US is on EST), and sits one hour behind US Eastern Time the rest of the year (when the US shifts to EDT for daylight saving). Either way, the gap with the US East Coast never exceeds one hour, which means a normal Colombian working day overlaps with a normal US working day almost entirely, no early mornings or late nights required to sync up.
With Europe, the gap is larger: 5 to 6 hours depending on the specific country and time of year, similar to the gap between Europe and the US East Coast. A Colombia-based worker can still catch European mornings by starting early, but full-day overlap isn’t realistic the way it is with the US.
With the US West Coast, Colombia runs 2 to 3 hours ahead, comparable to the gap between the US East and West Coasts.
Why this matters more than it might seem #
For anyone doing client work, consulting, or working for a US-based company, Colombia’s lack of daylight saving time actually simplifies scheduling over time: the gap between Colombia and any given US city is predictable and doesn’t shift twice a year the way it does for European or Asian remote workers dealing with US clients. This predictability is one of the underrated reasons Colombia has become popular with remote workers serving North American clients specifically.
*Related: Best Coworking Spaces in Colombia | Best Cities for Expats | Freelance Work in Colombia
