I too find it hard to talk to strangers. What works for me is to encourage people to talk more about themselves and by remembering details use that in future conversations with others.

If you are a native to the town, then surely you know other people and have some "history". If not, then you can ask about things that you notice and share contrasts with where you originally came from.

When I go shopping, I talk with other shoppers. Chat with the shopkeeper. When taking a walk, I say hello to others. Comment on their dog if they are walking with one.

Yes, it does take effort, especially when you are introverted. But each little success provides incentive to try again. It is rather like debugging a program in a language you are learning. You try this, then that. Observing and understanding as you go.

Think of other people as microservices with undocumented API. You start with doing what has worked in the past and then experiment with new approaches.