We investigate the effect of charge self-consistency (CSC) in density-functional theory plus dynamical mean-field theory calculations compared to simpler “one-shot” calculations for materials where interaction effects lead to a strong redistribution of electronic charges between different orbitals or between different sites. We focus on two systems close to a metal-insulator transition (MIT), for which the importance of CSC is currently not well understood. Specifically, we analyze the strain-related orbital polarization in the correlated metal CaVO3 and the spontaneous electronic charge disproportionation in the rare-earth nickelate LuNiO3. In both cases, we find that the CSC treatment reduces the charge redistribution compared to cheaper one-shot calculations. However, while the MIT in CaVO3 is only slightly shifted due to the reduced orbital polarization, the effect of the site polarization on the MIT in LuNiO3 is more subtle. Furthermore, we highlight the role of the double-counting correction in CSC calculations containing different inequivalent sites.