Randy1....
I chose TST area because of the more convenient location. Not all of us get to work on the white sands and clean beaches of PI everyday, and some actually need to travel frequently within HK and china for work.
As for air quality, obviously PI is slightly better, emphasis on slightly.
That being said, my place in TST is now 20 mins to office, and everything else is within a 5-10 min walk. The PnS downstairs from me seems about on par with PI, but I now have more options such as city super and 360, both of which are much larger, more to offer, and the lines are rarely ever bad since they typically have more then 2 cashiers open during rush hour.
In addition, I have access to tons of shops and restaurants that offer varying quality/pricing, which is better then PI's which can be counted on a single hand.
I no longer need to take a 15-20 min bus or 15-25 min ferry to reach civilization, or access to real transportation and shops.
I can now utilize a taxi at any time of day to get to/from my home if needed. Otherwise I'm smack in the middle of 3 different train lines.
The size of my flat is same as PI, and I still have a nice pool and gym and other clubhouse facilities. I still have a great view of Victoria harbor. So really I only lost the beach, which honestly is not a good beach anyways, and I gain a million times more convenience.
What does that cost me? A fraction of what you are paying in PI, and around 30% more then I was paying.
So again... If you choose to like PI, feel free to. We have friends on the island who like it too. Me, and many others I've talked to do not like it. I won't get into specifics of piss poor architectural design of PI, or the operations and services they run. But as I said before: I just want to make sure people reading this thread get both sides of the story... One from someone who has lived here for over 5 years, and one from an agent/seller.
Enjoy your stay here on the PI, and be sure to update me in 5 years to see if you still like it or not. Some do, some don't.