Shanghai is usually 13 hours ahead of Chicago. Chicago observes daylight saving time and Shanghai does not, so the difference shifts by an hour around the changeovers.

ShanghaiChicago

Sunrise 5:04 AMSunset 6:58 PM(local)

Sunrise 5:34 AMSunset 8:22 PM(local)

Chicago: daylight saving timeNow UTC-5 CDT. Next change: November 1, 2026 β€” clocks go back 1 hour.
ShanghaiUTC+8
ChicagoUTC-5CDT

πŸ‡¨πŸ‡³ Shanghai

Dialing code+86
Population24,874,500
Coordinates31.22Β°N, 121.46Β°E
Elevation12 m

πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ Chicago

Dialing code+1
Population2,664,452
Coordinates41.85Β°N, 87.65Β°W
Elevation179 m

No comfortable common working hours β€” these cities barely overlap.

Working hours assumed 9:00–18:00.

Frequently asked questions

What is the time difference between Shanghai and Chicago?
Shanghai is 13 hours ahead of Chicago. Use the side-by-side clocks and the day/night strips above to convert any hour between them.
When is the best time to call between Shanghai and Chicago?
There is no hour when standard working hours (9:00–18:00) overlap in both Shanghai and Chicago, so any call falls outside business hours for at least one side.
Why does the time difference between Shanghai and Chicago change?
Because at least one of Shanghai and Chicago observes daylight saving time, the difference shifts by an hour when one city changes its clocks and the other has not yet (or does not).