0) Try to install packages that are isolated to the current user, use the --user flag:
pip install --user SomeProject
1a) I agree with @Pi Marillion here, use an isolated conda environment if you don't have root access. This way you keep your path clean.
To install conda:
Since I don't know about your OS, go to https://docs.conda.io/en/latest/miniconda.html
After installation, update your conda (just in case):
conda update conda
To list the installed packages, you can do
conda list
You should see python installed. you can start an interpreter by typing python in the terminal.
There's conda cheat sheet that I found incredibly helpful:
https://docs.conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/user-guide/cheatsheet.html
b) Now try installing via pip and I think you might need python 3.x for setuptools.
https://packaging.python.org/tutorials/installing-packages/#id13
2) If this does not work you can still try
https://packaging.python.org/guides/installing-stand-alone-command-line-tools/
Hope this helps :)