Not really "apples to apples" when you include cable (at least my cable co.) which doesn't require a contract for most services. I can bail any time without incurring a punitive cancellation charge. With Dish (or DTV) I have to trust to faith that a provider's idea of a fair increase mirrors mine, and that doesn't sit well.
Does your cable provider charge for installation or other incidentals? If so you have to factor that into "how much does it cost for no commitment", if you decide to cancel after a short period of time. You could look at the history of Dish/Direct price increases over the last 10 years and I would expect to find a fairly consistent percentage increase each year. I used to pay yearly (in advance) with Dish, this accomplished two things: saved approx a month worth of charges (about 8.5%) and of course guaranteed the price for a year. I quit doing it because you are locked in to that particular programming package and I believe I tried to get it with one of the early hd packs and they didn't offer it on an annual basis. I'm not gonna lose any sleep over what Dish/Direct's increase is, whether or not I'm on a contract. I'm more worried about what our politicians (local, state & federal) are up to, that's always been a much bigger hit on my budget

You're doing the right thing, get as much info up front and make the decision that works best for your situation.