Method for cooling a hydrocarbon stream such as natural gas, wherein the hydrocarbon stream and a first refrigerant stream are commonly cooled against an evaporating refrigerant in a series of one or more consecutively arranged common heat exchangers (2,3), which series comprises a first common heat exchanger, upstream of which first common heat exchanger the hydrocarbon stream and the first refrigerant stream are not commonly cooled, the method at least comprising the steps of: (a) compressing a first refrigerant stream to obtain a compressed first refrigerant stream; (b) cooling the compressed first refrigerant stream against ambient to a refrigerant temperature; (c) receiving a hydrocarbon stream to be cooled at a starting temperature that is lower than the refrigerant temperature; (d) feeding the hydrocarbon stream into the first common heat exchanger 93) at a hydrocarbon feeding temperature that is lower than the refrigerant temperature; (e) further lowering the temperature of the first refrigerant stream, after said cooling of step (b), by heat exchanging against a medium different from ambient; (f) feeding the first refrigerant stream into the first common heat exchanger, after said heat exchanging of step (e), at a refrigerant feeding temperature, wherein the refrigerant feeding temperature is lower than the refrigerant temperature, and wherein the temperature difference between the hydrocarbon feeding temperature the refrigerant feeding temperature is lower than 60 °C; (g) commonly cooling the hydrocarbon stream and the first refrigerant stream against an evaporating refrigerant (170, 150) in the series of one or more consecutively arranged common heat exchangers (2,3), characterized in that said medium different from ambient comprises the hydrocarbon stream to be cooled upstream of said feeding of the hydrocarbon stream into the first common heat exchanger. (a) compressing a first refrigerant stream to obtain a compressed first refrigerant stream; (b) cooling the compressed first refrigerant stream against ambient to a refrigerant temperature; (c) receiving a hydrocarbon stream to be cooled at a starting temperature that is lower than the refrigerant temperature; (d) feeding the hydrocarbon stream into the first common heat exchanger 93) at a hydrocarbon feeding temperature that is lower than the refrigerant temperature; (e) further lowering the temperature of the first refrigerant stream, after said cooling of step (b), by heat exchanging against a medium different from ambient; (f) feeding the first refrigerant stream into the first common heat exchanger, after said heat exchanging of step (e), at a refrigerant feeding temperature, wherein the refrigerant feeding temperature is lower than the refrigerant temperature, and wherein the temperature difference between the hydrocarbon feeding temperature the refrigerant feeding temperature is lower than 60 °C; (g) commonly cooling the hydrocarbon stream and the first refrigerant stream against an evaporating refrigerant (170, 150) in the series of one or more consecutively arranged common heat exchangers (2,3), characterized in that said medium different from ambient comprises the hydrocarbon stream to be cooled upstream of said feeding of the hydrocarbon stream into the first common heat exchanger.