Honolulu is 4 to 5 hours behind Chicago, depending on the time of year. If you are both awake 7 am to 11 pm, a January weekday gives you 12 hours awake at the same time, and 2 hours of those are outside a 9-to-5 for both of you (in July: 11 hours shared, 1 hour free). Here are the good ones.
Honolulu is 4 hours behind Chicago that week. On a weekday you are both awake for 12 hours, and 2 hours of those are outside work for both of you.
Worked out for the week of 11 January 2027 (11 Jan – 17 Jan), in Chicago time, with each zone’s own daylight-saving rules for those dates. Honolulu awake 7 am – 11 pm, working 9 am – 5 pm weekdays; Chicago awake 7 am – 11 pm, working 9 am – 5 pm weekdays.
A weekday, in Chicago timeboth awake
Chicagoawake 7 am – 11 pm
Honoluluawake 11 – 3 am Chicago time
7a10a1p4p7p10p1a4a7a
Best on a weekday
9 – 11 pm Chicago
5 – 7 pm Honolulu · Chicago evening, Honolulu early evening
Another weekday option
5 – 7 pm Chicago
1 – 3 pm Honolulu · Chicago early evening, Honolulu lunchtime · during Honolulu’s work hours
The long weekend call
Sat 6 – 9 pm Chicago
Sat 2 – 5 pm Honolulu · Chicago early evening, Honolulu afternoon
The week · Chicago time, 11 Jan – 17 Jan
7a
8a
9a
10a
11a
12p
1p
2p
3p
4p
5p
6p
7p
8p
9p
10p
Mon
3a
4a
5a
6a
7a
8a
9a
10a
11a
12p
1p
2p
3p
4p
5p
6p
Tue
3a
4a
5a
6a
7a
8a
9a
10a
11a
12p
1p
2p
3p
4p
5p
6p
Wed
3a
4a
5a
6a
7a
8a
9a
10a
11a
12p
1p
2p
3p
4p
5p
6p
Thu
3a
4a
5a
6a
7a
8a
9a
10a
11a
12p
1p
2p
3p
4p
5p
6p
Fri
3a
4a
5a
6a
7a
8a
9a
10a
11a
12p
1p
2p
3p
4p
5p
6p
Sat
3a
4a
5a
6a
7a
8a
9a
10a
11a
12p
1p
2p
3p
4p
5p
6p
Sun
3a
4a
5a
6a
7a
8a
9a
10a
11a
12p
1p
2p
3p
4p
5p
6p
Columns are Chicago hours; the small figure in each cell is the time in Honolulu. both freeboth awake, one at workHonolulu asleep
The Honolulu–Chicago gap through 2027
Dates
Difference
1 January – 13 March
Honolulu is 4 hours behind Chicago
14 March – 6 November
Honolulu is 5 hours behind Chicago
7 November – 31 December
Honolulu is 4 hours behind Chicago
The week grid and call windows were worked out for 11 Jan to 17 Jan 2027 with the IANA time-zone rules for Pacific/Honolulu (Honolulu) and America/Chicago (Chicago). That week Chicago is on standard time and Honolulu keeps the same time all year. The table uses the same rules for every day of 2027. The finder above recalculates for the current week in your browser.
When it is … in Chicago
In Chicago
Honolulu, January
Honolulu, July
7 am
3 am
2 am
9 am
5 am
4 am
11 am
7 am
6 am
1 pm
9 am
8 am
3 pm
11 am
10 am
5 pm
1 pm
noon
7 pm
3 pm
2 pm
9 pm
5 pm
4 pm
Wednesday times. Send times as “your 8 pm” or “my 8 pm” so nobody has to guess whose clock you mean.
Stop doing the math every day
The Long Goodbye keeps your person’s local time and time of day on your home-screen widget and lock screen, so you can see whether it is morning coffee or midnight in Honolulu before you call. A “thinking of you” tap lights up their widget, and a countdown keeps the next visit in view.
What is the time difference between Honolulu and Chicago?
Honolulu is 4 to 5 hours behind Chicago, depending on the time of year. In 2027 it is 4 hours from 1 January to 13 March and from 7 November to 31 December; 5 hours from 14 March to 6 November.
What is the best time to call Honolulu from Chicago?
In January, the easiest two hours on a weekday are 9 – 11 pm Chicago, which is 5 – 7 pm Honolulu: Chicago evening, Honolulu early evening. At the weekend, Sat 6 – 9 pm Chicago (Sat 2 – 5 pm Honolulu) gives you a longer call. Change the awake and work hours in the finder on this page to fit your own days.
How many waking hours do Honolulu and Chicago share?
If both of you are awake from 7 am to 11 pm, you share 12 hours on a January weekday, and 2 hours of them fall outside 9-to-5 working hours in both places; in July it is 11 hours shared and 1 hour free.
Does daylight saving time change the call times?
Yes. In 2027 Chicago changes its clocks on 14 March and 7 November and Honolulu does not change its clocks, so a call you keep at the same time in Chicago moves by an hour in Honolulu on those dates. Check the table on this page and agree the new time out loud after each change.